Smallville According to Dianne
by Lara-Van
Summary: Admit it: You've daydreamed about what YOU would do if you were dropped into Smallville. When a teenage girl from our dimension suddenly finds herself in Metropolis, she gets the chance to do exactly that. Rated T for language.
1. Oh Great, Just What I Always Wanted

A Note from Lara: Okay, admit it, you've thought about it. All of us as Smallville fans have daydreamed on more than one occasion about what exactly we'd do or say if we got dropped in the middle of 'Smallville'. About just what exactly we'd say to convince the Big Dumb Alien to get his lazy butt in gear. How we'd coax along the relationship of our preference. Well, I was thinking about this the other day, and decided to write a story about what would happen if that actually DID happen to someone. So here it is... "Smallville According to Dianne", a unique look at our favorite characters through the eyes of a teenage girl, cast adrift in a strange yet familiar universe... (Sorry, that sounded way deeper than it actually is. This is actually a very lighthearted piece.)

Life sucks. Or... real life sucks. I learned that very early on. I swear some higher power's been out to get me since I was just six years old. My sixth birthday, actually. That was the day the accident that killed my parents happened. I don't remember them so well, but I remember they were good people. My dad was a doctor, and my mom did some kind of work at this big company. I remember their faces, their voices, I remember that life was easy and simple then.

Maybe it's always supposed to get harder as you get older, but not like that. They said it was a miracle I had survived. That was life lesson #1: All life is precious and oh so short. Don't waste it.

Life Lesson #2 turned out to be: Foster homes suck. A lot. Well-meaning as the people might be, there are too few people with the patience to take in an emotionally scarred little kid and make it work out. I got bounced through so many different homes, I don't remember half of them.

It wasn't like I was a problem kid, nothing like that. I just never quite fit with other people. It was always like there was some kind of barrier- invisible but oh so tangible- between me and every single other person on the planet. And I've always been kind of an introvert, so that didn't help.

When I got to be about twelve I started getting wild- staying nights away from whatever home I was living in, drinking, shoplifting. I think I might've gotten really out of control, if I hadn't been forced to pick up a copy of "To Kill a Mockingbird." I swear to this day that Atticus Finch saved me. I guess I just woke up and remembered that there were still good people out there. Life Lesson #3: Rise above it. I don't care what 'it' is. Just get the hell over it.

Then, one night, I was flipping through channels, when I came across 'Smallville'. You know the show- the one about Superman when he was a teenager. I was drawn in, fascinated by the incredible story, the incredible destiny of this boy- a guy only my age who had no idea who he was, where he'd come from. He'd lost something precious, just like me... even if he didn't know exactly what yet.

But I did, pretty quick. I raced through every season of the show that had been aired by that point, and branched out quickly to EVERYTHING Superman. However, Smallville always remained closest to my heart- Smallville's Clark just seemed so much more... I don't know... relatable.

For a year or so, I was like a woman possessed. TV shows, movies, comic books... Seriously, Chicago's version of Comic Book Guy became like my best friend. I even convinced him to squirrel away some REALLY rare issues long enough for me to scrape enough cash to buy them off him.

And just the way it had been with Atticus Finch, I was inspired by the guy's goodness and strength of character- and unlike Atticus, Kal-El had something else going for him. Two things actually- he was ridiculously, incredibly hot, and he had superpowers. That was something I'd always dreamed of; just being able to... be. To be able to make the things that I wanted to have come off happen without worrying about what could happen. Plus, you know, flying would just be so damn cool.

By the time I turned sixteen, my life still sucked, but now I had something- a character, an ideal- to hold onto, and although I still got shuffled between homes pretty regularly, it was okay. Maybe it seemed strange for a girl like me to have a superhero obsession, but it was the thing I held onto when stuff got hard. And besides, I was a hodgepodge of just about every label people give each other. Why not add 'geek' to the mix?

So, all-in-all, life was pretty normal. Then one night, my world changed... forever. Not to sound all daytime TV drama on you, but it's true. My life changed. Forever. FOREVER.

It was early March, and Shawn, my latest foster dad was wasted. He'd just been laid off from his job and promptly went out and had about thirty cold ones. I was amazed he was still standing.

The problem was, of course, that he was. And he wasn't one of those nice drunks who just starts crying and confessing every dumb thing they've ever done. No, he just had to be one of those types who gets violent. His wife wasn't home- she'd gone shopping. So guess who got to be the target of his screaming? Yeah, you guessed it. Me.

"I don't even know why we took you in in the first place! I told Milly we were just FINE without bringing some dumb kid into my life! But she made me, and now we're stuck with YOU! Ungrateful little bitch that you are," he growled. Seated on the worn couch, I looked up from my comic book, shrugged, and went right back to it. I'd dealt with jerks like him in the past, and it was usually best to just ignore them.

Just my luck, I thougth, when he didn't just give it up and go away. Instead, he advanced on me, balling his hands into fists. "Don't you ignore me, kid. I give you a place to sleep every night! I feed you! I bought the clothes on your back! You sure as hell have to answer to me!" I calmly folded my comic and slipped it into my oversized purse. "Dude, back off," I said blithely, "I'm going to bed."

But now he was standing in front of me, blocking my retreat. "Not until I finish talking to you! You've caused me a lot of trouble, you know that? If you hadn't gone and called me at work, I wouldn't have been fired! And-" "Yeah, whatever," I sighed, "I can't say I'm terribly concerned. You'll find a new job."

Oops. Wrong thing to say. Rage twisted Shawn's face, and his clenched fists came up. "Shut up, bitch. You don't know what the hell you're talking about! I'll knock you so hard you won't see right for a week if you give me lip on more time."

"Childbeating is against the law, man," I said, "Get away from me." That turned out to DEFINITELY be the wrong thing to say. Life Lesson #4: Dianne Morton puts her foot in her mouth on a regular basis.

He was obviously planning to hit me. I didn't like being hit. Drawing up my legs, I kicked him hard in the stomach, then vaulted over the back of the couch. "Don't mess with me, Shawn. I had a friend back in junior high. Street fighter. She taught me some stuff."

Not that he was actually in any condition to try and hit me back. It looked like the beer was finally catching up with him, and he was sprawled over the cooffee table, clutching his gut where I'd kicked him. Clutching my purse to me, I ran out of the house. My feet hit the pavement and I was gone. Running was something I was good at, and always had been.

Half an hour later, I was sitting outside some fast food place, staring at the buildings of downtown, nearly lost in the clouds. It was getting late, and chilly. I'd have to find somewhere to go. I couldn't go 'home', that was for sure. Even if Shawn was passed out drunk by now, his wife Milly would be home and furious.

Finding a pay phone, I fished through my bag for some change. Once I'd turned up a quarter or two, I rang my friend Samantha. She was staying in her aunt's posh apartment downtown, and she'd invited me to come stay sometime anyway.

"Hey Sam, it's Dianne. Think I could spend the night at your aunt's place?" I asked when she picked up. "Oh, sure. It's dead boring without you, you know." I smiled. "Thanks." "Is it alright with Shawn and Milly?" Sam asked. "Um... not exactly." "Oh." That was the great thing about Samantha- she knew exactly what my life was like most days, and didn't demand explanations. She just accepted it for what it was.

"Great. I'll hop a bus. See you in... twenty minutes?" "Sure." I hung up the phone, and made my way to the nearest bus stop. As I sat on the bench, hoping a bus would actually stop here sometime in the next century, I pondered my situation.

My foster dad was seriously pissed at me, I'd run out- again- and I'd actually physically assaulted him. Not to mention, I'd found out this morning that was failing geometry. Again. "Could this day get any worse?" I asked nobody in particular. All of a sudden, lightning flashed. There was a rumble of thunder, and then... it started raining. Not hard, just enough to be really annoying. Life Lesson #5: Never, ever ask that question. Especially if you're me. Because yes, it can ALWAYS get worse. And if you're me, it WILL.

Finally, a bus headed downtown pulled up. I hopped on, made my way to the back, and dropped down in a seat. There was only one other person on the bus- an incredibly aged woman with her gray hair covered with some kind of scarf.

I stared at my reflection in the dark glass. My face was almost unnaturally pale, and my waist-length, stick straight hair was platinum blond. My eyes were a strange shade of green- a color usually only achieved with the help of contacts. My face- in fact my entire frame- was long and thin. People told me that I was very beautiful; I thought they were insane. I was 'exotic-looking' like some weird elf from Lord of the Rings or whatever, but I wasn't beautiful.

Some people mocked me for my hair; those people got socked in the mouth. I kept it braided at all times, so it wasn't like it got in the way. And besides... my mother had always told me that long hair was so beautiful; letting my hair just keep growing and growing was my little memorial to her... I sighed, turned away from the window, and pulled my comic out of my purse.

Twenty minutes later, I heard the hiss of the bus's pneumatics. Looking up, I realized that we'd reached the lake front. We'd passed my stop several minutes earlier. "Shit," I hissed, and got out of my seat. I paid my fair and hopped off the bus. I'd have to walk back to Sam's.

But first, I looked out at the lake. Living so near the city, you would get used to the strange weather caused by living so near Lake Michigan, but the lake has such a personality- I don't think you can understand it until you've watched it and seen it changed.

Today it was a dead, lifeless gray, rippled slightly by wind and rain, with tall waves, as a storm blew in off the water. Drowning water.

I shook my head. Where were all these morbid thoughts coming from all of a sudden? But as I moved, something caught my eye. There was something small and shiny- no shining- on the ground near the cement steps leading down to the water.

Curious, I walked over and picked it up. It was some kind of green stone; it looked so familiar, but... Then I gasped. It was a piece of... kryptonite? At least, that's what it looked like, right down to the sickly green glow. Was it some kind of prop for a TV show or something? But then what was it doing here? Maybe it's a novelty item?

Confusion swept through me. And suddenly I felt dizzy. It was like a fishing hook had lodged itself in my stomach, and the line was being reeled in hard and fast.

Trying to turn, I lost my footing, fell, and tumbled down the steps. As I rolled with frightening speed toward the ledge above the water, I thought, 'This is it. I'm going to die because I picked up some stupid piece of rock from a gift store. And that's the last thing I'm going to think about.' I slipped over the edge, saw the water beneath me... and then nothing.

--

It was like being pressed between two panes of glass. On one side of me, I could see the frothing water of the lake, the exact last image I'd seen before I closed my eyes. On the other side of me was what looked like some back alley.

I couldn't breathe... but I didn't seem to need to. I was being pulled in a thousand different directions, as if I were floating in a vacuum, but at the same time I felt like I was being compressed. My head swam and I feared I would lose consciousness again. What was happening?

Suddenly a young man appeared. He looked to be about thirty, but he could've been any age. He had brown hair and soft brown eyes. He was dressed simply in a white t-shirt and jeans. As he sat down cross-legged in front of me, the strange sensations faded. "Welcome," he said.

"Who are you?" I asked groggily. "I know you have many questions, and I wish we had time to look at them all, but we don't. I will however, explain what I want with you," the man said. I noticed vaguely that his features were utterly unremarkable- the kind of face you could forget while you were still looking at it. The mysterious guy continued.

"I have brought you here because there is someone, someone in another dimension, who is terribly important. He is coming to a crossroads, and the choices he makes soon will affect not only HIS dimension, but ALL of them. And, most worryingly, I cannot tell what he will choose. There is no one in his life that has the power of will to influence him to make the right decisions. The situation cannot be left as it is. Therefore, I have called upon you to assist me."

I nodded. Some part of me knew I should be freaking out, wondering what was wrong with me that my mind came up with such strange dillusions, but this guy, whoever he was, had a calming effect. Just being near him put me at ease.

"So... who am I beating sense into?" I asked. Mystery Dude smiled and said, "You'll know him when you see him. In fact, that was one of the reasons I chose you in particular." "Well, I see we have a new contender for the number one spot on America's Most Enigmatic," I said sarcastically.

"And there's another reason I chose you, out of all the people I COULD have selected. You have a sharp tongue and give no quarter. Even to a complete stranger who could send you anywhere he wishes instantly, you air your true feelings and opinions openly. This will be a useful skill to you." H nodded wisely. I sighed. "Furthermore, you have a unique gift for seeing right to the heart of things, for cutting right down to the truth of the matter and laying it bare for all to see. That may be the only thing standing between the universes and... infinite destruction." He sighed.

We sat in silence for a moment before I said, "Alright, Dorothy's ready to be zapped off to Oz now." Couldn't I just go to Samantha's instead of saving the universe? Or... universes? I shook my head. It was too confusing.

"No, no she's not, quite," said Mystery Dude. He placed his palm on my solar plexus. "I AM sorry Dianne, but this is going to hurt. A lot." "What--?" I managed. And then the world was on fire.

Every inch of my body was burning and I was conscious of a blinding white light coming from the point where his hand touched my body. And then the contact was gone and the fire was gone and I was falling... falling...

--

I woke up with a jolt. For a moment, I thought I was back in Chicago, back on the steps leading down to the lake. No such luck. I was in the alley I had glimpsed from that... other place. How I had gotten here, I didn't know. Maybe this was all just some whacked out dream?

I stood up. There was a faint bruised feel to my body that certainly FELT real enough, but I couldn't be sure. I raised my left hand, inserted my second finger into my mouth, and bit down hard. Tears instantly welled up in my eyes as the pain seared through my hand. I quickly took my finger out of my mouth. Nope, definitely not a dream. This was real. You can get away with pinching yourself in a dream, but BITING yourself? Not a chance.

Looking around, I noticed a couple of guys looking at me in a way I didn't like. Without a second glance at them, I marched down to the end of the alley to emerge on a busy city street.

Where was I? I didn't have a clue. Turning to my right, I wandered aimlessly, trying to find some landmark I recognized. There were none. It certainly wasn't Chicago, and the skyline looked wrong for New York. I could be anywhere. I shivered. The skies were gray and a flurry of snow was coming down.

Finally I rounded a corner and found myself staring at a VERY familiar building. I gasped. There was NO way I was looking at what I thought I was looking at. But I was. I was looking at the Daily Planet building, complete and in color.

And then my ridiculously slow brain caught up with my eyes and put two and two together. The piece of kryptonite that had started off this whole mess, the Daily Planet... I had a sneaking suspicion I knew EXACTLY what I was doing here and EXACTLY who I was here to see. "Mystery Dude, whoever you are, if I ever see you again, I don't know if I'll kiss you or kick your ass six ways to next Thursday," I hissed under my breath.

Twenty minutes later found me sitting on a bench in the main city park, riffling through the contents of my purse. I had my usual staples- To Kill a Mockingbird and my comic books, as well as a Crunch bar- plus eighty-some dollars in cash and a few random knick knacks. You know the kind of random litter you find in the bottom of a purse- pens and old receipts and gum wrappers. Little collapsible hairbrushes.

Eighty dollars might get me a cab as far as I needed to go, but once I'd blown it, I was stranded. But then, if I was right about what I was here to do, who I was here to see, then I wasn't likely to be left out in the cold. But first off, I had to get my hands on a newspaper. I had to find out when I was.

I knew I was in Metropolis; I had clearly come to some kind of dimension where Superman was a very real presence- or would be. If what Mystery Dude had said was any indication, it was probably a Smallville-esque scenario. And he was right- he couldn't have picked anyone better for the job. I knew every date, every fact, everything that had ever happened on the show. I smiled in satisfaction. I LOVE being useful.

So, I had been dimension-switched... into 'Smallville'. When? Before or after Dark Thursday? It was an interesting question, because I could think of more than a few 'whens' that could make my job SO much harder. If Mystery Dude had dumped me here right after Lana faked her death, I was SO screwed. I'd never get through that dumb head of Clark's. Ever. Or if it was after Brainiac fried her brain...

And then the irony of it all caught up to me and I spent several minutes laughing hysterically. I had dreamed about something like this happening for years, but now that it actually had and I was faced with the reality of it... it just seemed like such a huge task. And Mystery Dude had made it sound really serious. Like everything, everywhere, everywhen was doomed for eternity. And I was the one who had to talk sense into the most stubborn man on two planets.

Well, I decided, setting my jaw, I was definitely the girl for the job. Stubbornness was something of a strong suit of MINE. As was not coddling somebody's feelings. No matter how much respect and awe I might have for the guy, he was NOT getting the soft treatment. Not this time. Chloe had been doing that for way too long.

And with that, I stood up, found a newsstand, and scanned the newspaper. The date jumped out at me- February of 2008. Right about the time Kara got her memory back. Okay. I could handle that. Lana's mind hadn't been deep-fried yet. Which meant that I had time to get Clark away from her before she was turned into levrage.

And with no further ado, I stood up, left the park, and hailed a taxi. "Take me as close to Smallville, Kansas, as I can get on eighty dollars," I said to the cabbie. The guy nodded, and put the pedal to the metal. Whoa. Metro cabbies really COULDN'T drive. I'd always thought that was an exaggeration. This was WAY worse than the cab drivers in Chicago.

Two and a half hours and 84 later, I was standing on the highway, staring at the sign 'Welcome to Smallville: Meteor Capital of the World'. It was nearly identical to the one on the TV show. How was that even possible? Did Miles Millar have some kind of psychic link to another dimension?

I had no idea where to go from here. Okay, so I was in Smallville. Where did I go? Did I just go walking up to the Kent farm and barge in the door? Or should I just hang around town hoping to find him? The second idea seemed more logical. This was NOT something I wanted to blow. I had to get it right.

After walking the remaining mile into town, I wound up at the Talon and spent my remaining three dollars on something loaded with sugar, highly caffeinated, and wonderful. Staring around, not even allowing myself to believe that I was seriously HERE, at this place I'd seen so often on the tube, I caught a glimpse of a familiar face. Lois Lane- LOIS LANE- had just walked past me. It took all my willpower to keep from jumping up and begging for her autograph.

I know, I know... I was like a starstruck little girl. It was kind of sad, actually. Life Lesson #5: It's not a good idea to spit coffee all over when you first catch a glimpse of the girl who's the soon-to-be girlfriend of the most powerful man on planet earth. Or planet ANYTHING, for that matter. Thank god she didn't turn around to stare.

After loitering around nursing my beverage for about three hours, I was THIS close to giving it up as a dead end. Maybe he didn't come in here as often as one might think. This was a waste of time. I should just hitchhike to the Kent farm...

And then he walked in the door. Clark Kent walked in the door. I am not kidding. I stood up, as casually as I could, and walked toward the door as if my only intention was to leave. I didn't stare at him, but I didn't avoid looking at him either- it would have seemed weird to make a point not to look at him.

Then, as I passed him, I 'accidentally' bumped my shoulder into his chest, and fell to the ground. Life Lesson #6: Don't walk into a Kryptonian when they're not expecting it. They will not accomodate you, and you will fall down. And it will hurt. "Ow!" I said. "Oh crap," I heard him hiss as he knelt down beside me. "Are you okay?" "Yeah, I'm fine," I said, and looked over at him.

My stomach did this strong-gravity thing when I met his eyes. He was WAY hotter than he looked on TV! And, oddly enough, he didn't look as much like Tom Welling as you'd expect. I mean, there was a really strong resemblance, but the real life Clark's eyes were blue, not green, and his nose was thinner. If that were possible, he was even more handsome than his TV counterpart.

He offered me a hand up. "Sorry about that," he said. "No, it's my fault," I responded, "I'm Dianne." He smiled. "Nice to meet you. I'm--" "Clark Kent," I interrupted. "I know who you are. I was actually hoping to bump into you... if you'll pardon the expression." He looked confused. "Um... how do you know me? Have we met before?" I sighed. "Look, this isn't the time or place to discuss this. It's not something you're likely to want to talk about in front of a room full of witnesses." Suddenly, there was a flash of terror in his eyes. I knew. And he knew I knew. And he didn't know me. It was understandable.

Ten minutes later, we were sitting in the kitchen of the Kent's farmhouse. Clark was sitting at the kitchen table, looking deeply concerned, as I sat down next to him with a sigh. "I assume you know that I know you know I know about you?" I said, then paused, having confused myself. "Okay, hang on, let me rephrase. I know your secret... Kal-El."

He blinked. I guess he thought I was yet another random meteor-freak or whatever who'd stumbled onto his powers. He hadn't expected me to know his name. "How do you know that name?" he asked softly. His blue eyes stared intensely into my green ones.

Just as quietly, I said, "I'm from another dimension." He looked confused. "I don't really understand how I got here. One minute I was tooling around in Chicago, trying to get to my friend's house, the next..." I related, fragmentedly, my encounter with Mystery Dude and my charge to help him.

"I guess I'm just supposed to... you know... help you fulfill your destiny. Sort out your life- which, by the way," I couldn't help interjecting, "Is a real mess as of... oh about three weeks from now if you don't take my advice. I think I have to more or less take up where Raya left off." There was a sudden look of pain in his eyes when I mentioned Raya's name and I immediately regretted bringing up that particular point of reference.

"I'm sorry. I shouldn't have--" I tried. "No, it's okay. I just... haven't visited her grave in awhile," he said, "Maybe I should go this afternoon." I nodded. "Well, look Kal-El, I'll just get out of your way. But I'll be around. I'll pop back in from time to time to... you know, give you a nudge in the right direction." I picked up my bag and headed in the direction of the door, knowing exactly what was coming.

"Dianne? How about you stay? I mean, we've got plenty of room. I don't think Kara would mind terribly sharing a room with you." I turned around. "No, Kal-El. I shouldn't intrude." "No. I want you to stay. I mean, I have a lot of questions about... well, this whole thing." I smiled. "Yeah, that makes sense. I guess I would too. You're sure Kara and Lana won't mind?"

"No, not at all," he said with that five-year-old grin that had endeared the character to me so much in the first place. I put my purse back down on the counter and sat down next to him again. "Alright. Fire away," I said.

"Okay... first off, how do you know me? Who I am... what I am... all these details about my life?" I smiled. "Where I come from, you're known all over the world, but just as a character... a work of fiction. Comic books, movies, TV shows... I don't know exactly how we even know about you at all, but the story of Kal-El, the Last Son of Krypton has been around for like eighty years." He blinked at that. Clearly not what he was expecting. "Seriously?" I shrugged. "Yeah. If you can figure out how that works out, you really ARE your father's son." He frowned. "What does that mean?" I sighed.

"Look, Clark... how much do you actually KNOW about Krypton, about your parents? I mean, I know you've spoken to Jor-El... met Lara, but how much do you know about them as people?" It was just as I expected- he looked pretty stumped. All the times he had rebelled against the disembodied voice of Jor-El, he'd never taken the time to just THINK, to understand his father and why he asked him to do what he did. Yet another reason I had frequently wanted to throttle the guy sitting in front of me.

"Clark, Jor-El was the kind of scientific genius that would make Einstein look stupid. He was possibly the most brilliant man anywhere. Ever." I sighed. Did he seriously not know this stuff?

Clark nodded, a strange look on his face. "Revelations are never easy..." I said quietly. He nodded. "Tell me about it." After a moment, he continued, his eyes incredibly somber.

"And secondly, what exactly are you supposed to be helping me with? Why is it so important that my life get straightened out? I mean, I'm just a farm boy--" "A farm boy from another planet," I interrupted. "A farmboy with incredible powers FAR beyond anything or anyONE else on earth. Clark, don't you know? You're probably the most important person in the entire Milky Way Galaxy. You're destined to be a... hero." I didn't want to give away too much, too soon.

He sighed, a sad, faraway look on his face. "It doesn't seem to matter what I want, does it? This destiny--" He spoke the word with contempt. "--just seems to drag me along no matter what I want."

Thinking of all the times I had been pulled from foster homes because the family had difficulties of their own, or simply lost interest in me, I nodded absently. But that word- destiny- sparked something in me. I thought of each one of those families I'd lived with- they had always seemed to genuinely care about me... at least at first. I thought of the invisible barrier that had always seemed to exist between me and the rest of the world, the barrier that kept me separate, alone. That prevented me from making any close friends, any real connection to anyone.

Ironic, I thought. The girl who nobody would miss was the one who was stolen away to come do this- confront this man who wasn't even supposed to exist. I was the perfect one for the job, as Mystery Dude had said...

And suddenly it clicked. "Of course..." I whispered. "Of course. That's it. That's my destiny. This is what I was made to do, what I was created for. I was made to be your guide, and help you through the early stages of your destiny!"

By the time I'd finished speaking my voice had risen nearly to a shout. Clark was staring at me like I'd lost my mind, but there was still that spark of eternal kindness in his eyes.

Regaining my composure, I brushed an escaped strand of hair from my eyes and said, "Sorry, it's just... I had something of an epiphany. I realized- I could stay in this place forever if I chose to. There's nothing to go back to and no one to miss me at home. The only person who'll even wonder what happened to me is Samantha, and we honestly weren't that close..." I trailed off.

Life Lesson #7: Having one of those 'self-realization' moments when you're trying to focus on someone else's problems is most likely a bad idea.

On Clark's face I saw that familiar saddened, pitying look that I'd seen turned on all kinds of Smallville strays. I never, never thought it would be directed at me. "Don't give me the pity stare, Kal-El. It's not a bad thing, not to be missed." I said. "Makes it easier to move on with my life."

After a moment of thought, I continued, "And anyway, I'm not the important one here. That's you. You've got the power to save us all- to save everyone from ourselves. Right now you're wasting it. And if everything I know is true, you can't keep on like this. You're screwing the entire world over, Clark Kent."

I grinned awkwardly to take the skin out of my remark. "Look, now's probably not the best time to dive into this stuff. Right now I should probably go and strategize, figure out how to point you in the right direction without completely messing this up."

"Did it ever occur to you that maybe I don't want to be directed?" he said, a hint of sarcasm tinging his voice. "Yes. You've made it painfully clear in the past. But I'm not going to stand by and let you let the entire universe go straight to hell," I said firmly.

And with that, I picked up my purse, and marched upstairs to my new room. I just hoped my superpowered roommate wasn't in right now. Because I really didn't think I could deal with Kara right now on top of everything else. Right now, all I wanted was to lie down and try to find a way to work out everything that had happened to me.


	2. Kara and Chloe

I opened my eyes slowly. I wasn't in my room. I wasn't in Chicago. I didn't think I was in Illinois. And there was someone in the room with me. For a moment I was disoriented.

Then the events of yesterday washed over me. Oh god. I was in Smallville. I was literally in Smallville. And the girl standing at the foot of the bed staring at me was Kara Zor-El, the Last Daughter of Argo City. Holy crap. This was just too much.

"Hi Kara," I said, sitting up and putting a hand to my head. "Damn. Dimension-hopping really takes it out of you." She didn't speak, which made me nervous. I really hoped I didn't screw this first meeting with Kara went well. I'd really need her on my side if I was going to get Clark's head on straight.

"Sorry to have hijacked your bed. Did Kal-El explain the situation to you?" I said, hoping I wasn't babbling. Her continued silence bothered me, but finally her carefully stilled expression changed. A smile broke across her face and she spoke at last. "You called him Kal-El. Nobody calls him that but me. It's nice to hear him referred to by his true name." I shrugged. "It annoys the hell out of him. The more unsettled he is, the easier my job is."

Kara settled on the edge of the bed as I got up and began brushing my hair. "What exactly IS your job, Dianne Morton?" she asked, sounding strangely formal. "That's kind of complicated," I sighed. God, was this how the two of them felt every time they had to explain their complicated history to people?

"I'm from another dimension. One where Krypton never existed, or if it did, it never exploded. Anyway, Kal-El is a legend to us. We have all kinds of movies, TV shows... lots of stuff about him. He's destined to be a great hero. Earth is tearing itself apart at the seams, just like Krypton." Kara's face registered pain, but I pressed on trying to ignore it. "Anyway, he's not going to fulfill his destiny if he keeps on the path he's taken in life. I've been asked to divert him. To make sure he fulfills his destiny and saves the world. Which he's supposed to do about six billion times."

Kara smiled. "I've tried to tell him this. Chloe's tried to tell him this. Even Martha Kent has tried. What makes you think you're any different?" I smiled. "Because I know what's going to happen. I know how to prevent it. I know the great truths of Kal-El's heart better than he does. I can keep the unthinkable from happening; and it will if he doesn't listen to me."

She blinked. That **was** an advantage she hadn't expected. Working the edge I'd created, I asked boldly, "So, do I have your help? I don't think I can manage this alone- I'll need both you **and** Chloe on board if I'm going to completely up-end Kal-El's comfortable, naïve existence. Your help in particular would be valuable- especially when it comes to flying lessons."

Kara stared at me. "You're going to try to--?" she asked. I nodded. "He's incredibly stubborn, you know. You'll never convince him to even try." With a smug look on my face, I said "Clark may be pig-headed, but beyond a doubt I'm MORE stubborn."

We stared at each other for a moment, then Kara burst out laughing. "Fine then, Dianne, you've got my help." I smiled. "You realize I'll have to resort to absolutely **dastardly** methods to make this work, of course," I said. "Stuff like... say... having you drop him from forty thousand feet..." Kara grinned wickedly. "It would be my absolute pleasure," she replied in the same teasing tone. "I've always wanted to do that... see how he would react."

Laughing, we made our way downstairs to find Lana and Clark together in the kitchen. They weren't speaking. Oh, good, I'd come in at a point where they weren't on the best of terms. This would make my job even easier.

I'd realized a long time ago that Lana had been... poisoned... by Lex. He'd sucked out what little goodness and light there was in her soul and replaced it with his own brand of manipulative evil. Lana had always been weak and Lex had just given her a different kind of weakness, disguised as resourcefulness.

And throughout this last season- could I even call it that, now that I was here?- she had been slowly passing some of that off on Clark. Not the evil of course; he was too purely good to be corrupted. But the darkness, and the weight of the soul were crushing down on him. I'd seen it so often, a sadness in his eyes that belied the fact that he really wasn't happy in his 'dream relationship'.

As long as he was in this doomed relationship, he'd never take the steps necessary to become Superman. He'd just spiral downward into despair and destruction. He needed Lois Lane. Maybe I was a traditionalist, maybe I was totally messing this up, but that had always worked for every version of Superman I'd ever heard of so I was just going to stick with the tried and true.

"Well Kal-El, I'm going to go kind of... take the lay of the land, so to speak. I've seen this place so often on TV and stuff, you see. I'd like to see what it looks like in real life," I said. My real mission was, of course, to find Chloe. I shot a death glare at Kara. "Oh, uh... yeah. I'll show her around Smallville," she said hurriedly.

Clark looked at her funny. "What, no crack about how oppressing the town is?" he asked suspiciously. "Well, much though I hate to admit it," Kara said slyly, "Lois is right. It does kind of grow on you." I snorted. "City girl my **butt**!" I exclaimed. "What happened to 'there's not a city on Earth that can compare to Argo City?" Kara looked at me. "Oh, I... uh... I watch your lives on TV, remember?"

Lana was giving me the same stunned look she had given J'onn J'onzz. "Don't freak out Lana," I said in a slightly condescending tone. "I, at least, am 100 earthling." She blinked. And with that, I marched out the door, Kara trailing behind me.

"Okay, what was that?" Kara asked, glaring at me. "I'm busting my butt to help you, and you nearly blew my excuse." "Boy, for somebody who's so good at keeping secrets, you really don't know much about improv acting, do you?" I shot back. "The key is to make it seem as natural and true to character as possible. And that little 'it grows on you' line was completely unlike you Kara. And it would've been odd for me not to comment on that since I'm supposed to know all these little details about your lives."

"Okay, I get it," Kara sighed. "So what exactly is it that we're doing?" "Getting Chloe on-board. I told you I need her help too. I'd tell you more, but since we're still most definitely in ear-shot of your cousin, I'd better not." Kara grinned. "Dianne, you're surprisingly clever. And as for being in ear-shot--"

Before I realized what was happening, she had scooped me up in her arms and seconds later we were hovering over Metropolis. "Whoa. That is **incredibly** cool!" I exclaimed as we came to rest on top of the slowly rotating globe of the Daily Planet building.

"So what exactly **are** your plans?" Kara asked. "How do we stop Kal-El's train from derailing?" "Well, as far as I see it, there are three major parts to what we need to do. Clark needs to learn how to fly, he needs to get the idea to create a dual identity--" "A what?" Kara interrupted. "I'll explain later." I said, and continued. "And we need to get his love life sorted out. You may not have noticed it, but Lana is **really** messed up. Right now, he's only sticking with her because he won't admit that he might be wrong about her. About her being the love of his life. Because she's **not**. She was once, but she's lost all the goodness in her to Lex. But I know who his soul mate really is, and I'm going to play matchmaker here if it **kills** me."

Kara stared at me. "Wow. That's kind of... complicated... don't you think? And Clark gets so touchy about Lana..." I nodded. "I know. And that's why Chloe's never had any luck getting his head on straight about her. But it has to happen, or all the rest of it's just going to collapse in a massive pile of agony and there'll be just one more planet that met an early demise. And that is NOT going to happen," I said decisively. "Now... let's go find Chloe."

Kara nodded, then held up a hand to silence me. She closed her eyes, and I realized that she was listening. After a moment, she opened her eyes and smiled. "She's in the city, about six blocks west, I think. Metropolis Star building. I think she's applying for a job there," she said. "Alright, let's go," I said.

Seconds later, we touched down in an alley behind a building with the words 'Metropolis Star' on the front in big blue lettering. I thought to myself that it really wasn't as impressive as the Daily Planet. "So what now?" Kara asked. "Shall I just go and get her?" I shook my head. "She'll be more willing to help us if we don't just rip her out of her job interview."

And so we waited. Five minutes... ten minutes... twenty... God, was she never coming out of there? We were sitting on a bench across from the building, watching everyone who came out the revolving door. Kara was getting impatient- as the iron seat of the bench showed clearly. The end of the seat had been crushed into an exact mold of her palm. I wondered how she'd survived all those years stuck underwater.

Finally I saw a familiar blond woman exiting in the midst of a crowd of reporters. Kara leapt to her feet and raced over to her, with me just a few steps behind.

"Chloe, finally!" Kara said, "We've been waiting for you for**ever**!" Chloe looked from her to me and back. "Okay... um... Kara, who's this?" she hissed, her eyes fixed on me. "Oh, Clark didn't call you?" I said. "That's odd. You're usually his first resource when something happens."

Chloe looked at me strangely. I turned to Kara. "Do you want to explain or shall I?" I asked. "I don't really understand it at all, so you may as well," she replied.

With a sigh, I continued. "It's kind of hard to explain, but I'm more or less from another dimension. Where I come from, Clark is something of a legend. He doesn't exist on our earth, but we have all kinds of TV shows and stuff about him. I know his life story better than I know my own. But in this dimension- the one where he actually exists- he's messing up his life. He's refusing his destiny. And if it's allowed to continue, the entire universe is dead. So they sent me to help him sort it out. I've got to get his life back on track. And I need your help, and Kara's."

Chloe stared at me as I finished speaking. "Um... okay. Yeah. So what exactly does this involve?" she asked, slightly stunned. "I've got three main objectives, actually. I'm going to teach him to fly, sort out his love life, and give him the idea for a dual identity. A kind of alter-ego, so to speak," I explained.

Chloe nodded. "What exactly does his love life have to do with anything?" I sighed. "Hello, paging Dr. Phil. Look, it's a **huge** part of his life, and right now it's **really** screwed up. I've always kind of thought maybe it's creating some kind of emotional block and that's the real reason that he can't fly yet. God knows he's certainly old enough. And besides, if Clark is still with Lana in a month or so, Brainiac is going to deep-fry her mind. It's better for all involved if we can sort this out before then."

There was an incredulous look on Chloe's face as I finished. "You're actually planning on... breaking them up?" she gasped. I nodded. "I sure as hell am. It's going to be incredibly hard for all of us, Clark most of all, but once he can break free from this stale relationship, there's a kind of joy waiting for him the rest of us can only dream experiencing. See, I know who the love of his life is, and even if he won't listen to me, I'm going to deliver him safe and sound into the arms of his soul mate, even if I have to drag him there kicking and screaming."

Chloe's eyebrows were in danger of disappearing into her hair. "So you're telling me that you're an inter-dimensional being who's here... to break Clark and Lana up?" I smiled. When she put it that way, it did sound kind of ridiculous. "More or less. But as for the inter-dimensional being part, I'm just as human as you are Chloe. Just... from a different earth."

She nodded. I guess that made sense. "Are you going to let us in on the secret then? Who Clark's one true love is?" she said, a hint of irony in her voice. In a completely matter-of-fact voice, I said, "Your cousin." Chloe blinked several times. Kara opened and closed her mouth once or twice before she found her voice. "Lois?" she whispered. "But... but they--"

"Hate each other?" I asked, smiling wickedly. "I think Lana put it best when she said 'the best ones already start that way'. Ever read 'Pride and Prejudice'? Lizzie Bennet and Mr. Darcy are one of the best-known romantic couples ever, and they couldn't stand to be in the same room together when they first met. And yet they got their happily-ever-after didn't they? Lana and Clark are Romeo and Juliet- destined to end in disaster again and again. Lois and Clark... well, you get where I'm going with this."

Chloe sighed. "Okay... so what exactly are you planning to do about all this?" she asked. By now we had wandered together all the way back to the Daily Planet building. "Well, I'm putting Kara in charge of flying lessons, since neither of us can exactly do anything about that. And I expect that she'll be really mean about it, too." I turned to face her and Chloe. "I believe you mentioned something about dropping him from forty thousand feet." Chloe's eyes widened, and she chuckled softly.

I continued, speaking to Chloe now. "You'd probably better work on the Lana-Clark relationship. If I recall rightly, you were pretty peeved when you found out about the Isis foundation. Try working that to your advantage."

"And what are you going to do?" she asked. I grinned wickedly. "The one thing you've all tried to do, but none of you ever quite managed. I'm going to force him to accept his destiny."

To be continued... soon...


	3. Friends, Lana, and Destiny

Kara and I returned to Smallville after I received Chloe's promise of assistance. The flight was as exhilarating as it had been the first time she had whisked me through the air. "You know Kara," I said as we touched down in the driveway, "That really is insanely cool. Kal-El really has no idea what he's missing, does he?"

The alien in question had just come out on the front porch. "Okay you two, quit conspiring against me. Lana's gone to run some errands, and I'd like to talk to you, Dianne," he called. Kara and I jumped at the sound of his voice, and I was pretty sure that my face mirrored her guilty expression.

Then I grinned. "It's magic time!" I whispered to Kara. "Prepare to see for yourself just how convincing I really can be." "You mean you'll let me observe the Master Persuader in action?" she quipped. I laughed. I was really starting to like Kara. "Hell no! Trade secrets and all. But I'll have Clark decked out in spandex and off to fight evil in less time than it takes you to circle the earth a time or two."

And with that, I marched up to the porch, grabbed Clark by his blue plaid collar and dragged him out to the loft in the barn. "Alright Kal-El. You talk, then it's my turn." He cocked an eyebrow. " That's usually the way conversation works," he said dryly. "I **mean**, it's my opportunity to start doing my job. Fulfilling **my** destiny by helping you accept yours."

"And another thing, Dianne. Don't call me Kal-El. Please?" I smiled playfully. "It unsettles you. Anything that unsettles you is to my advantage. Unless I succeed in my job here, the entire universe dies. And since I really don't want that to happen, I plan to resort to any means necessary short of bodily harm to cajole you into making this work. So if I have to play mind games, I will."

"You are..." He seemed to search for the right words. "...brutally honest," he finally concluded. I nodded. "Welcome to Starbucks, may I take your order please?" I said dryly, "Yes, I'll have a strict policy of honesty. No sugarcoating. Plenty of sarcasm." He laughed as I finished speaking. God, he hadn't laughed like that since... well, since he broke up with Lana back in season five.

He dropped down on the couch, and gestured to the other end. Taking the hint, I sat down.

"So what was it you wanted to say, **Kal-El**?" I asked. "Actually, I just wanted to know if you had enough money to get yourself some spare clothes. I mean, by all appearances, you're going to be here awhile." I shrugged and smiled apologetically. "Well, unfortunately, I'm completely broke." I turned out my pockets to demonstrate this fact. "I've got a savings account, but since they don't allow trans-dimensional withdrawals, I don't think that's much use to me."

He flashed me that kid-in-a-candy-store grin again, and said, "Well then, I guess I'll have to spring for you then." Oh no. This wasn't good. If he bought me things (no matter how much I might need them, having come here with nothing), I'd owe him. Life Lesson #8: If you're trying to turn somebody's world upside-down, don't get yourself into a position where you owe them **anything**.

"Seriously? Thanks," I said. "I'll pay you back as soon as I can find a job aside from getting your head on straight."

Clark sighed. "I wish you'd quit saying that. My life isn't a mess. I'm the happiest I've ever been." I stared at him with a deadpan look on my face for a few seconds before I replied to that. "Are you? Are you really, Clark?" That threw him for a loop. I guess Chloe never actually questioned him when he said stuff. I crossed my arms and put on my 'I'm damn serious so you better listen to me' face.

"See, I think you **think** you're happy, because you've got what you **think** you want. See, I know all this random crap that's going to happen in your future. I **know** what you really want in your heart, I've been trying to get inside your head for years now. And what I finally figured out is that right now you're wanting with your head, not your heart. And for such an emotionally-based person, that's a really stupid idea."

There was a moment of silence when I finished speaking. Then Clark said in a slightly shocked voice, "What exactly are you talking about?" Raising my chin, I said calmly, "Clark, I am talking about **you**. Your life here... this farm... your continued refusal to do anything that might possibly help someone you don't know who **doesn't** come crashing into your life through sheer accident... Lana..."

His eyes hardened. "What **about** Lana?" he asked suspiciously. I took a deep breath. This was supposed to be Chloe's job, but I could try and lay the groundwork for her. "Clark, do you trust me? Do you believe that I come from another dimension? That I... know things? About you?" His eyebrows came together as he gave me a questioning stare before answering, "Of course. You can have no reason to lie... and you knew all these things about me, about my past..." He trailed away, and I nodded.

"Okay. You have to have **real** faith in me and you just have to accept the thing I'm about to tell you, because I won't ever lie to you Clark. About anything." He nodded, and I continued. "Right then. Here it is: Lana Lang is not the love of your life."

His expression was difficult to read, but I managed anyway. Shock, then a brief flash of stubborn denial were quickly followed by anger, then confusion. "I... you... that... What?" he said in a hoarse voice. I shrugged, an apologetic half-smile on my face which I knew didn't reach my eyes. "Sorry. I know it's not something you want to hear, but it's absolutely true."

His jaw set. "Well then. I suppose you're going to suggest that I kick Lana out and go off and... _marry Chloe_!" he said angrily. I sighed. Life Lesson #9: Don't tell somebody that the person they've been in love with for most of their life isn't their soul mate. They tend to take it personally.

"Something like that," I said sadly. "Not Chloe, I suppose. I can't tell you who though. That would just be cheating." There was an awkward moment of silence which I hurried to fill. "I mean, I guess back in high school she was... you know, 'the one', but she's changed. You refuse to see it because she still **looks** the same on the outside, but she's not the same girl you fell in love with. That whole mess with the Teagues and Countess Isobel Thoreau changed her. Her encounter with Nam-Ek and Aethyr changed her. **Lex** changed her.

"Lex is poison, Clark. He warps everything he touches; but then, you knew that. Lana spent too much time in his company to escape unscarred. She still looks like the same beautiful Lana that you always knew, but inside she's... dark. Twisted. You remember everything that she's done- she's lied to you. When she got your powers, she attacked Lois and Grant and tried to murder Lex. Everything that the Isis Foundation is, everything it does, everything it represents... is that really the kind of person you can be in love with, Clark?"

He just looked at me. I suppose he thought he was being stoic in the face of an attack on his great love, but it was a telling look. There was frustration and anger in the set of his mouth, but his eyes told a very different story. His determination to stay with Lana was warring with doubt and an acknowledgement of the truth in my words.

During the few moments it took me to see all this, I guess he finally decided to speak. "There's... there's some truth to your words, I guess," he admitted. I grinned, and he hurried on. "But that doesn't mean I'm going to drop Lana just because you made a point."

"But you'd break up with her to save her, wouldn't you?" I asked pointedly. There was a brush of fear across his face. "What exactly do you mean?" he asked, his voice soft. I raised my eyebrows. "Brainiac," I said simply. "He's going to attack her sometime in the not-so-distant future." "How can I protect her?" he asked in a voice of deadly calm. "You can't. No matter what you do, unless you realize your true feelings and leave her before he returns, you're pretty much screwed."

I could see a resolution forming in his eyes, and hastened to add, "But don't leave her **just** because of that. If you do, you'll always wonder if it would have worked out otherwise. It has to be because you've realized that you're not in love with her anymore, or you'll never be sure. And if it were anyone else, I'd say 'sure, a lifetime of self-doubt isn't as bad as letting her brain get deep-fried', but you're too freaking important to have that lack of faith in your own judgment!" By the time I finished speaking, my voice had risen to a shout.

I took a deep breath and continued more calmly, "And that's all I'm going to say for now on the subject." For a few minutes, Clark simply looked at me.

"Dianne?" he asked softly. I nodded in acknowledgement. "You keep talking about this **destiny**, how I'm **so important**, but I don't even really know what you're talking about. What... what exactly **is** my destiny?" I smiled sadly.

"Kal-El, don't you know? Haven't you at least **guessed**?" I asked softly. "You're... Kal-El, you're..." I trailed away. I had **no idea** how to handle this. On the show he always seemed to know exactly what his destiny was!

After a moment, I sighed. "God, how do I even start to explain this? Okay. I'm really not qualified to do this, this is Jor-El's job, but I'll do my best. Right. Your destiny... you know the dual-identity thing Oliver Queen's been doing? A superhero masquerading as an ordinary person? Well, in about five or six years, there's going to be about a zillion of those. And you're their guiding light, the one who always does the right thing, and almost always knows what the right thing is. You're supposed to be the greatest of the superheroes, not just because you also happen to be the most powerful, but because you're just innately **good**. There's something in your soul that other people just don't have. Some people who don't understand it will mock you for it, call you a boy scout, but it's what makes you so right for the job."

He was staring at me. I guess that wasn't exactly what he expected. Taking advantage of his silence, I pressed on.

"But that's not all of it. Countless times, the universe will hang in the balance- every life, every person on earth and beyond in jeopardy. And you are the **only** one who can save them. There's nobody else- NOBODY else- with your kind of power, with your strange brand of reasoning. **That's** the reason you have to just get over yourself and accept your destiny and not run from it anymore but meet it head-on. If you don't you're basically telling the entire universe to go die, you'd rather be with your girlfriend than save their sorry butts."

I gave him a cheeky smile and said, "Now, I'm going to let you absorb that, while I go explain to Chloe the details I'm not allowed to tell you." And with that, I marched down the stairs from the loft and exited the barn.


	4. Breakups and Surprises

"Success!" I exclaimed to Kara as I entered the kitchen. "The Man of Steel is fully prepped for takeoff. Well, maybe not," I amended after a few moments. "But I've made significant progress. I put doubts about Lana in his head, and gave him a bare-bones explanation of his destiny. My groundwork is laid."

Kara smiled. "Well, if you've even gotten him to **doubt** Lana, you've had more success at this than anybody but Lana herself." I grinned. "Tell me about it. Listen, Kara, is Chloe at the Talon? I should probably explain the full details of... well, the future... to her in case I get yanked out of here before my job's completely finished." Kara nodded. "She lives there, yes, but I don't think she'll be home from Metropolis yet. I could go over there with you. If I'm with you, Lois might actually let you in to wait for her." "Thanks, Kara."

Thirty seconds later, we were standing outside the Talon apartment. "Whoa. Little warning would be nice next time, Kara," I gasped. "You just broke about six laws of physics, carrying me with you." She shrugged and grinned. "Rules were made to be broken," she said cheekily and knocked on the door to the apartment.

After a few moments I heard a familiar voice call, "Who is it?" "Hi Lois, it's Kara. We were wondering if we could wait here for Chloe to get home." "Sure, hang on a sec," Lois said.

When Lois opened the door, I had to try very hard not to stare. I had caught a glimpse of her the other day, but I'd been too preoccupied choking on my coffee to notice how... how TALL she was! I mean, at five foot nine, I tended to tower above most girls. Lois Lane, however, had turned the tables on me. She had to be six feet tall! Ah well. That would just make it easier for her to stand up to the most powerful man on earth. God help Kal-El...

"Hi Kara," Lois said. "Who's your friend?" "I'm Dianne Morton," I explained. "I'm a... um... friend of Clark's." Was it just me, or was there a faint flash of jealousy in her eyes at my wording? "I'm from out of town. My parents were... killed... in an accident and Clark's been good enough to offer me a place to stay until I can find a job and a place of my own."

Lois nodded, a sympathetic look on her face. "That's Clark. You know, I don't understand him. He'll open his home to any random stray who shows up on his doorstep. No offense to you two..." she hurried to add. "So Kara, you said you wanted to see Chloe? She's not here, but you can come in and wait for her if you want." "Thanks Lois," Kara said.

Lois ushered us into the apartment and opened her mouth to say something more, when her cell phone rang. She hastened to answer it and held a few minutes conversation. When she hung up, she was beaming. "This might be **just** the break I've been looking for!" she exclaimed.

"What story are you working on?" I asked casually. "How did you know I'm a reporter?" she asked suspiciously. Oh. Crap. Life Lesson #10: If there is anything suspicious or out of place to find, Lois Lane will find it. Don't give her **anything**!

"Clark mentioned that you'd gone to work for the Daily Planet," I said quickly. "Really?" I nodded. "He talks about you a **lot**." There was a strange look on Lois's face as I said that. Pressing my advantage, I continued; "In fact, the only person he talks about more is Lana." There it was again, that flash of jealous possessiveness, only more distinctly this time.

Lois forced a smile and pretended to look faintly disinterested. "Good to know," she said blandly, nodding. And then she picked up her purse, slipped her cell phone in her pocket, and walked out the door, pausing just a moment to look over her shoulder and call back, "Tell Chloe I got a lead on bringing down Luthor, and I'll be back in a few hours!"

As the door shut, I turned to Kara, who was staring at me in what I can only describe as shocked admiration. "How do you **do** that?" she asked. "Just wrap people around your finger with a few words? Just... play with peoples heads like it's nothing? I can't make people think **anything.**"I shrugged.

"I think it's because I was orphaned so young. Before that, I had it pretty easy. But then in one night, I was shoved out into the world with no one to care for me. I had to make my own way, take care of myself. I was only six years old, and I couldn't take care of myself physically, so I had to make myself heard through my words. I had to be able to defend myself by completely disarming the other person before they could do something to me. But who knows? Maybe it's genetic," I said.

At that moment, Chloe came bustling through the door. She stopped dead at the sight of us sitting there. "Oh. Hi. I didn't, um, expect to see you guys so soon."

"Hi, Chloe. Well, the first round in the Clark-Dianne battle-of-the-wills deathmatch is over, and I thought I'd let you know how it went. And fill you in on some of the details for what the future holds for our dear friend."

Three cups of Chloe's terrible coffee and an hour later, I had given Chloe as much information as I could about Clark's future.

"Seriously? I'm never mentioned in any of the old comic books? How bogus is that?!" Chloe exclaimed. I shrugged. "Well, you know, there are compensations. Brainiac can't touch you. If it ever comes to it that he tries to do to you what he's going to do to Lana, it'll nearly kill him. You're the only human being that would stand a chance against him."

Chloe grinned wryly. "This is officially the **weirdest** conversation I have **ever** had," she said. "Well, I'm honored," I said. "You've had some **really** bizarre conversations in the past." Kara laughed. "Yeah, I can think of a few!"

"Oh yeah, you're a fine one to talk," I giggled. "What about 'That's what happens when you touch my stuff?' As I recall you knocked Lois out and punched Clark in the face." Kara shrugged sheepishly. "How could I know how much time had passed? I was in stasis."

"I have to say though, I think your little chat with Clark this morning takes the cake for most random conversation," Chloe said. " 'My bank doesn't allow trans-dimensional withdrawals?' What the hell kind of line is that?" "A **good** one!" I pouted for a few seconds, and then the three of us burst simultaneously into laughter.

It was several minutes before we could calm ourselves down enough to talk sensibly. "God, Dianne, you're the best thing to crash into Smallville since Lois!" Chloe said, still chortling. "Oh, and what am I? Diced hrakka meat?" Kara exclaimed. Chloe looked at her. "Well, technically, you crash landed at the same time as Clark, almost fourteen years before Lois first visited Smallville." Kara rolled her eyes. "Okay, now **this** is weird!" I said, and we dissolved into laughter again.

"By the way, what story is it that Lois's working on?" I asked, drawing deep, steadying breaths. Chloe sighed. "Ever since I got fired from my job at the Planet, she's been determined to bring Luthor down. It's become a serious personal vendetta for her; she's obsessed. I don't know how she does it and still manages to work on her regular assignments. She's dug up some really crazy stuff. I mean, stuff I wouldn't believe even **Lex** is capable of! But she's been having a hard time finding proof."

I nodded. This was Smallville. I knew how it'd play out; Lex would find out that Lois was investigating, the evidence would get buried even deeper, Lois would do something rash and stupid to get to the bottom of it... Oh well. So long as she didn't get herself killed...

Suddenly, Kara became very still. "Oh wow..." she whispered. "What is it? What do you hear?" Kara held up her hand for silence, then after a moment, her face relaxed from it's focused, concentrated look. "Wow. I haven't heard Lana shriek like that... ever," she said. "What? What's going on?" Chloe asked.

"Clark and Lana are right in the middle of a massive fight. Something about that whole Bizarro mess again," Kara explained. Chloe and I looked at each other. "Should we be terribly sad that our friends are on the outs again, or should we be overjoyed that the hard part is probably over?" she asked seriously. "Somewhere in between?" I suggested. "I don't know. How about you be sad and I'll be happy?" Kara bit back a smile.

Chloe assumed the appropriate expression of deep concern, while I leapt up, danced to where Kara was sitting, and screamed "Woo-hoo!" Kara held up her hand in the universal gesture for a high five, and I slapped her palm.

"Ow!" we shouted simultaneously. "Wait, that hurt you too?" I asked, surprised. Shaking her hand, Kara nodded. "What the hell, Dianne?" I shrugged. "Beats me. This is Smallville, I guess. Weird shit happens." Chloe was giving me a strange look. I held up my hands in a surrender. "I don't know. Maybe there's a solar flare? Last time that happened Clark was messed up for a week."

Kara and Chloe quickly forgot the incident, but it continued to lurk in the back of my mind. What had happened? It didn't seem likely that a random solar flare had caused Kara's pain. I kept flashing through the events of the past few days, wondering what it could be that had caused this.

Shortly thereafter, Lois arrived, and joined Kara in bashing Chloe's coffee. After a quarter of an hour of 'eats out the bottom of the pot' jokes, I couldn't take it any more. "Hey Kara? Do you suppose the coast is clear to... um... go back to the farm? Or are we still unwelcome and unwanted?" I said loudly.

Kara's brow furrowed, and then she said, "Probably, yeah." "What's up at the Kent residence?" Lois asked. "Kara spend too much time making out with Jimmy and not enough time milking the cows?" There was a moment of silence during which Lois seemed to realize what she had said and who she was with.

Life Lesson #11: Okay, so maybe there's **somebody** who puts their foot in their mouth more than I do.

"Oh, crap you guys, I'm sorry. That was really... tactless." Kara looked awkward, Chloe looked miserable, and Lois looked like she wanted the floor to swallow her. ** I **thought it looked like it was time for me to step in and try and save this situation.

"Actually, Lois, Clark and Lana have been duking it out over something. The farm is a regular war zone," I said. Was it just me or did Lois look a little... hopeful? Whatever it had been, the expression had crossed her face too quickly for me to be sure.

"Well anyway, it's probably safe to say that we can go home without pushing the big red button, so I guess Kara and I should get going." I shot a look at Chloe. "Oh... um, do you guys mind if I tag along?" she asked, "I mean... Clark usually needs a confidante after he's been on the receiving end of Lana's cool fury." I nodded.

"Although..." Kara volunteered, "If what I... we... overheard earlier is anything to go by, 'cool fury' isn't exactly the way I'd put it." Playing it up for Lois... brilliant move Kara. God, I would have bet my life's savings on Kara in a game of chess. "Yeah," I said, working with her. "It really was more like 'So You Think You Can Yell?' sudden death round."

There was that same flash of unconscious happiness that passed across Lois's face as I said that. "Well, enough gossiping about the rocky relationships around us," Lois said. "We're going to go over there. Right now."

"We?" Chloe said, raising one eyebrow. "Yes, 'we'," Lois said hotly. "Clark was there for me after my final split with Oliver. The very least I can do is try and pick up the pieces, if this is as big a mess as you say." And with that, she left the apartment.

I turned to Kara. "We-ell, look who's picked up some tricks..." I said slowly. Kara nodded, a small smile crossing her face. "Chloe, I think you'd probably better handle Lana, and we're leaving Clark to Lois. Kara and I will be here to back you two up if you need it." Chloe nodded.

We reached the curb just as Lois was about to pull away, and managed to catch her attention and pile into the car before she left.

When we reached the farm, Lois made a beeline for the barn, while Chloe walked toward the house. I glanced at Kara. "Which conversation do you want to eavesdrop on?" I asked. "Honestly? As much as I'd like to know how Kal-El's doing, I have a feeling Lana's side of this may be **much** more interesting," she said. "Suit yourself. Personally, I'm spying on Clark."

Kara made her way up to the house, and I followed Lois toward the barn. Careful to remain absolutely silent, I slipped into the barn and crouched beneath the stairs, listening.

"She's leaving. She went inside to pack her stuff." Clark's voice didn't sound sad; it was as though he was simply very tired. "What did you guys fight about?" Lois asked softly.

Clark sighed. "It started out about something really stupid, but I guess a lot of the things we've both been thinking for a long time just... boiled over. She doesn't trust me, she's halfway in love with someone else... and I just don't know anymore how I really feel about her." "What do you mean?" Lois asked, deep concern in her voice.

"It's just... something Dianne said got me thinking. About Lana, about the direction my life is taking. And I think maybe I don't like the person I am around Lana too well. I want so much to be with her, to love her... but at the same time there's just something--" He broke off, grasping for words. "Just something missing," Lois whispered. "I know. You just want it to work so badly, because they're just so, **so** right for you, but there's just something wrong. It's like it's just not meant to be."

Clark sniffed. I was pretty sure he was crying. "Exactly," he said, his voice breaking. There was a soft rustle. Oh god, this was torture. Nobody was talking; how was I supposed to know what was going on? Throwing caution to the winds, I emerged from underneath the stairs and peeked over the edge of the loft. Lois had caught Clark up in a tight hug, and he was crying silently into her shoulder.

Before either of them could see me, I ducked down out of sight and made my way to the house. I reached the door just in time for Lana to barge past me, a suitcase in each hand. As I moved to catch the door before it slammed, Lana whirled to face me.

"This is all **your** fault!" she hissed furiously. 'Everything was just **fine** before you showed up. Then you had to go and put **ideas** in his head. I swear to god you'll pay for this Dianne whatever-your-name-is." I looked askance at her, then slipped inside the house. Lana's rage didn't bother me. I'd never had a whole lot of respect for her, anyway.

Kara and Chloe were sitting at the kitchen table, staring at the door- and, consequently, me. I shrugged. "It's got to get worse before it gets better?" I said apologetically. "Well, I left Clark sobbing in Lois's arms, but I couldn't gather much from their conversation. What exactly was the topic of the argument?"

"Oh, it started out as another 'Lana likes Bizarro better' argument, but I guess Clark had a Red K moment, because he just started freaking out and actually letting his feelings out for once. I guess it just pushed Lana past the point she could bear. She's going to stay with Nell in Metropolis," Chloe said. "Great. Just peachy-keen," I groaned. I had wanted to separate Clark and Lana, but I didn't do well with massive amounts of emotional tension.

Chloe and Kara looked about as miserable as I felt. Even if I didn't particularly like Lana, her words had some truth to them, and it stung. If I hadn't spoken to Clark this morning, then maybe this wouldn't have happened. But then, it had to happen. And it was better for Lana if she left sooner rather than later. The longer they had been apart by the time Brainiac showed up, the better. But I still felt this horrible guilt for causing Clark so much pain...

I felt like kicking something. The closest available target was the kitchen peninsula. I drew back my foot and kicked the wood as hard as I could. It shattered. Splinters of wood flew in every direction, and the door of one of the cabinets dropped off.

I felt my eyes widen, and my hand flew to my mouth. "Holy crap," I whispered. Chloe and Kara were staring at me. I glanced from their shocked faces to the massive hole I had just made in the baseboard.

And without another word, I ran out of the house, just as I had the day before back in Chicago. I pounded through the yard, down the driveway, and on down the road. I kept running and didn't look back. I don't know how long I ran, tears running down my face, the occasional handful of March rain tossing itself in my face, but finally I stopped, and sank to my knees underneath a gigantic maple tree.

This was it. I'd blown it. They wouldn't want me around anymore. I'd been thrown out of foster homes for far less than trashing a kitchen.

And speaking of which, what the hell? How had that happened? I closed my eyes, racking my brain yet again for something, anything, which could explain this. And then the memory surfaced...

"_Alright, Dorothy's ready to be zapped off to Oz now," I said._

_Mystery Dude smiled. "No, no she's not, quite." He placed his palm on my solar plexus. "I AM sorry, Dianne, but this is going to hurt. A lot." "What--?" I managed. And then the world was on fire._

Oh god. Had Mystery Dude done something to me when he touched me? Right before he sent me here? I had always wanted superpowers, but this was just... not was I bargained for. I sighed. Life in Smallville was a hell of a lot more complicated than I'd expected.

I knew Clark too well to think he'd actually kick me out. What had I been thinking? He might be pretty peeved, but I'd still have a place to stay. And with that thought, I stood up and began walking back in the direction I'd come from.

A Note from Lara: Okay, maybe there were too many disparate thoughts in that, too many events tied together, but I had a lot to get accomplished in this chapter, and I'm somewhat pressed for time today.

And yes, I did give Dianne superstrength. Plus... No, telling you that would be spoiling it. I suppose there are going to be some of you who think that this is a mistake. However, I have some very good reasons for doing it, so don't bash it too hard in your reviews, please.

Thanks for taking the time to read my work, and check in with my story soon. I've got something really shocking and horrible planned in the next three chapters or so... chuckles evilly


	5. Lots and Lots of Angst

A Note From Lara: Okay, so I've had a one particular reviewer who's been begging me to just have Dianne literally slap some sense into him, so here's to you, **ben10987654321**! Thanks for all your input and support. As always everyone, reviews are always appreciated.

Okay. So... they forgave me. I guess I knew they would. It wasn't like I'd had any idea what Mystery Dude had done to me. And I still wasn't sure, for that matter. I mean, I was unnaturally strong now, but there were hints... signs that maybe that wasn't the full extent of it.

I decided, however, that I shouldn't be concerned with my own superpowered issues right then. Saving the world vicariously through Clark was more important.

Chloe and I decided unanimously that it would be best to give him a few weeks to recover from losing Lana. Maybe we were wrong. I think we were. Strike while the iron's hot and all that. Waiting wasn't particularly necessary, as he actually seemed happier with her gone. Once he had recovered from the initial shock (**massive** kudos to Lois), he stopped moping around surprisingly quickly, and a relative peace returned to the Kent farm.

I asked him about that one morning in the barn as I was helping him sling hay bales up into the back section of the loft. He shrugged and muttered something about "Maybe you were right." I grinned. "Right about what?" "About Lana and me," he mumbled. Oh ho! So he **could** admit he'd been wrong. "Score one for the alt-dimension chick!" I crowed. He glared good-naturedly at me. I chucked a hay bale at his face. He caught it and tossed it back. Unwilling to play by his rules, I tossed the bale over my shoulder and up into the loft.

"So... are you going to man up and do the right thing?" I asked. "What do you mean?" "I **mean**, are you going to go superhero or not?" He shrugged. "I've got to admit, it's an interesting idea. But I'm not really cut out for that kind of life. I prefer my quiet existence on the farm," he said.

"Says the guy who's secretly dreamed of working at the Daily Planet since he was fifteen," I countered. "How did you--" "Know that?" I interrupted. "Alt-dimension chick, remember?" I said, pointing at myself. He rolled his eyes.

"Fine, so I find Metropolis... intriguing. So what?" "So I am going to drop-kick your butt in there if it's the last thing I do. It's your future. To be one of the greatest reporters the Daily Planet has ever seen... and simultaneously the most important news story to ever hit Metropolis," I explained. This was about the fifth time I'd told him that this week. Why was he not getting the message? I was frustrated to the point of rage, and he didn't even seem to notice or care.

In fact, he seemed to take some kind of joy from digging in his heels even harder against his destiny. It was like a... a **game** to him! So when he replied so cockily, I guess I just... snapped.

"Well I'm not ready to abandon the farm yet, so I'm not going and you can't make me!" he said, sounding for all the world like some little kid having a temper tantrum. And I lost it. Putting every scrap of my newfound strength into it that I could, I socked him in the chin. He flew across the barn to land in a heap against the bottom of the stairs.

"Come **ON**, Clark!" I shrieked, advancing on him. "This is **not** a game! It's not some stupid joke I'm playing on you. This is **real **life, and it's time for you to get your lazy ass out of Smallville and start making a real difference in the world! You have all this incredible talent and you're frickin' wasting it! Do you see Einstein becoming a kindergarten teacher because he was too chicken to maybe make a mistake in his theories? Do you see Leonardo da Vinci becoming a cartoonist because there might be one critic somewhere who didn't like his work? It's exactly the same thing! Just because the situations are different and the stakes are higher, it's still a talent, a gift that you've been given and you refuse to see it that way! Talent should never, ever be wasted, even if it brings trouble with it. You're screwing the whole world over!

"There are thousands... millions of people who die every damn day because you're too scared- yes, scared- to get out there and save them. Because you're scared of what people might **think** of you! That was real cute when you were in high school, but you've come a long way since then and it's time to **GROW UP**! Sure, there are always some people who will hate and fear you, but that's the way life is. Not everybody likes you. And sure you're right to be nervous, but that's what courage is about, Clark; it's about doing what's right, no matter how scared you are. And right now you're being a goddamn coward!

"So get the hell over it and stop letting people just... die! Because no matter how many people mistrust you, there will always be so many more who love you and would give their lives for you, even though you know they'd never ask. And they deserve your help! They deserve their saviour! So where's the fantastic guy who's supposed to become Superman? All I see is this sniveling wretch who's too scared to leave this hick town because- gasp- there might be higher stakes out in the real world! No matter how hard it gets, your friends will always be there to help you through the tough times, the love of your life will always be one step behind you to catch you when you're falling. And you'll bring so much goodness and light into the world that the cost to you is hardly anything in comparison. So just get up off your ass and stop acting like a little crybaby farmboy!"

I stood over him, panting from the outpouring of rage and emotion. He was still lying sprawled across the stairs, looking up at me with some kind of shock on his face. "Grow the hell up, Clark," I said in contempt. And I turned on my heel and strode out of the barn.

As I passed through the barn door, I heard his voice behind me. "You didn't call me Kal-El," he whispered. "Damn right I didn't!" I called back over my shoulder. "You don't deserve that name today."

Alright, maybe that was a little **too** angsty. But you can't deny that you've thought pretty much the same thing once in awhile.

I probably won't be updating this for about a week, so just hang tight. When I update this next, there are going to be some **real** shakeups in America's favorite 'small' town...

Peace out!


	6. Flying Lessons

I was still angry by the time I reached the Talon. With a carefully judged leap (courtesy of my enhanced strength), I landed on the ledge outside Chloe's window.

I don't know what the hell I thought I was doing. It's just a habit I picked up throughout my life. Whenever I got really pissed at someone or something, I would go and eavesdrop on some random person.

Life Lesson #12: When eavesdropping, you can learn a lot of stuff that you find vaguely intersting. But you won't give it a whole lot of weighty thought until it comes back to bite you in the ass.

"Seriously Lois, Lex is dangerous. If he finds out you're looking into him... well, he fired me just for asking a few questions. You're doing a lot more than asking. Lois, he could very easily kill you," Chloe said.

"This is more important than just my life," Lois said. "Lex has ruined thousands of lives- maybe millions. He's **insane**, Chloe. And if some of the stuff I suspect is even slightly true, he's going to kill thousands of people. And if I can't bring him down in time, I'm just one more corpse on the pile." "But Lois--" "No buts. I **refuse** to be just another person, just another body, just another victim of Lex Luthor's psychotic rampage through the world. I'm going to be the one to stop him, okay? Just because all of his little underlings are too scared to stand up to him and stop him, doesn't mean I can't do the right thing."

There was a moment of silence, then Lois continued. "Chloe, I uncovered something. One of my snitches told me that Grant..." She choked slightly on his name. "Grant was a clone of his baby brother. A clone! Like that crazy guy who put a bomb on you was. And then Lex killed him. Killed them both!" "Oh my god, Lois. I'm so sorry," Chloe said softly.

"And it's so frustrating! I hear rumors of ALL KINDS of stuff like this- people he's murdered, or had other people murder, employees who've 'disappeared'... But I can't find proof. I had a few tidbits of proof earlier in my investigation, but not enough to earn him some quality time in the deluxe jailhouse suite. Only enough to seriously piss him off if I printed.

"But still, I was finding proof. Now... I think he's onto me Chloe. I think he knows I'm looking into him. It's the only explanation for why my sources are suddenly going missing." Chloe sighed. "Look, Lois, maybe you should just drop it. It's not really worth it, is it? I mean, if he does know about your investigation... I agree with you, he's got to be stopped. He's a loose cannon. Who knows where he'll be pointing when he fires next time?"

"I don't know. I just don't know, Chloe. But I've got to keep going. This isn't just about me, about you or Grant or any of this. This is about the fact that Lex is a really powerful player in the economy, in world politics... He's practically got his finger on Earth's delete key. I intend to chop that finger off. And if I'm lucky, the rest of his arm as well."

"Okay," Chloe sighed. "Just remember- people have **two** arms, Lois. And it only takes one to fire a gun."

I sighed, and thought, 'Conversation boring, going in circles. Not worth listening to. Leaving now.' I leaped across the rooftops of Smallville, taking massive super-leaps. It was exhilarating, nearly as good as flying with Kara. By the time I had reached the Kent's roof, I was taking quarter-mile jumps. Almost as good as the original Superman, I thought, smiling slightly.

Swinging myself carefully off the roof and through the window of Kara's bedroom, I settled down on the windowsill to stare out into the cloudy gray sky.

I'd been really mean to Clark this morning. I mean, of course it was all true. I wouldn't have said it if it weren't. But maybe, just maybe, I'd been too harsh. But something had to break through the emotional block he'd put up against his true self, right? Something had to make him see.

But would he let me stay here, after what I'd said? Would he be so angry with me that he'd kick me out? It seemed likely. I'd been dumped by foster parents for much much less.

And if he did, where would I go? I had no money, no job. I couldn't stay with Chloe and Lois. Lana hated my guts. Kara might be able to help... somehow. Clark hadn't accepted his destiny yet, so going back to Chicago probably wasn't really an option. If I could even figure out how.

Maybe I could steal a parka and find my way to a certain Arctic getaway... Jor-El might just talk to me. After all, I was on **his** side on the fight to get Clark skybound. And Jor-El knew how to rip apart the fabric of dimensions. He'd proved that when he created the Phantom Zone. Maybe he could get me back to Chicago? Maybe...

"Dianne?" Clark's voice said in the hallway. "Dianne, can I come in?" I grunted. I didn't want to have to hear what he had to say right now. I wasn't ready to leave yet. I wasn't ready to face him after everything I'd said. But I guess he just assumed that "hunhg" meant "yes".

As the door opened, I continued to stare out the window, fiddling with the end of my long pale braid. I heard the bed springs creak as he sat down, and then there were several minutes of silence. Finally, I couldn't take it any more.

"I'm sorry," I mumbled. "Sorry for what I said earlier. I was... too harsh." I turned around to face him. "I shouldn't have said it at all. But just... understand that what all of what I said was true."

He nodded. "I know. I've always known all that, I think. But I didn't **want** to know, I didn't want to hear it. Because knowing that would mean I'd have to leave Smallville, leave Kansas, leave my friends. I'd have to stop being Clark Kent. Clark Kent has to die for Kal-El to be real. But I guess there's no avoiding it now." He looked down at his hands, which were curled awkwardly in his lap.

I almost wanted to cry for him. I finally understood the problem, the reason he was fighting this so hard. He thought he had to completely give himself away.

Crossing over to where he was sitting, I dropped down on the bed beside him and peered u at him. "Clark... where did you get this idea that you have to choose between being Clark Kent or Kal-El?"

He simply looked at me pathetically. "You don't, Clark. It's like what Oliver Queen and his league do. Reporter by day, superhero by night. Only, unlike them, you won't go masked. No, you can disguise yourself as Clark. Glasses, a different pitch to your voice, and a bit of feigned clumsiness. That's all it takes. It's a universally acknowledged truth that people see what they expect to see."

There was sudden understanding on his face as I finished speaking. But then his expression darkened. "What about all the people who already know what I look like? Lois... Jimmy... most of Smallville?"

"One step ahead of you," I said, grinning. I'd spotted this potential problem right away. "You know your little Martian friend, J'onn J'onnzz?" He nodded. "Telepathy is **incredibly** useful when you're making people forget stuff," I said enigmatically.

I could see him connecting the dots and a sudden grin spread across his face. "**Finally** you get it! But you've got one more thing figure out before you can do this." I gave him an evil smile. Apprehension clouded his eyes.

"Oh yeah, that's right you **better** be scared! We're calling out the cavalry. It's time for flying lessons. And I expect Kara to be **brutal**." Clark gulped.

A few days later, Kara and Clark stood in the driveway, discussing the mechanics of hovering, in preparation for his first potential takeoff. Chloe and I sat on the steps leading up to the house, watching.

The ongoing discussion of wind vectors wasn't terribly interesting, so instead, I turned to Chloe and said, "So, how's phase two of Operation Cupid coming?" Chloe smiled. "Oh, you mean trying to get my cousin to fall for Clark? Honestly, now that I'm looking for, I don't think I'll have to do too much. She's done most of the work for us."

Chloe frowned. "The problem will be getting her to back off her investigation into Lex long enough to take a good look at her feelings. Quite honestly, she's in way deeper than she ought to be. I think he suspects her; she mentioned that the information trail was drying up." Yeah, I know, I heard that. And a lot more.

"Well honestly? I don't think the hard part will be getting her to hit 'pause'. The hard part'll be the 'take a good look at her feelings' part. Not exactly something Lois is keen on," I pointed out. Chloe laughed.

Suddenly, Clark lifted a few feet into the air and hovered there for a few seconds. "Woo!" Chloe yelled, and I applauded wildly. About a millisecond later, Clark hit the ground.

"Okay Kara!" I called. "Clark's done with the groundwork. No more kid stuff! Take him up." Kara nodded. Clark had about two seconds to wonder what I meant before Kara seized him around the waist and rocketed into the sky. Soon they were out of sight.

Chloe looked at me. "How long before he makes a crater in the driveway?" she asked. "Five minutes," I said. "Three," she countered. "Oh, you are **on**!" I said. "I win, you buy me a latte. You win, I owe you a latte once I find a job." We shook on it.

Three minutes and eighteen seconds later, there was a brand new, Clark shaped hole in the driveway. Damn, I thought.

Clark lay on his bck, with the three of us staring down at him. "Kal-El, I think Kara has her work cut out for her," I said. Clark groaned.

Now, if my life were a movie (which actually isn't a bad idea, come to think of it), this would be the part where they showed a montage of 'flying lessons' clips accompanied by an yupbeat, energetic sound track. Probably something by Bowling For Soup, if I had my way.

But my life **isn't** a movie, and I can't just give you a nice little music-video-style cover of the high and low points. What I can do is is tell you that it took Kara three weeks to turn Clark into any kind of proficient...

Week One: The four of us learn Life Lesson #13 together. Life Lesson #13 is: Never **ever** combine low-level flight, a couple of iPods, the American flag from a Perkins restaurant, and your neighbor's antique threshing machine. It does **not** end well. No matter **how** good of an idea it seemed at the time.

Clark masters hovering and low-speed, unidirectional flights (after minor aforementioned mishaps).

Week Two: Massive backsliding followed by sudden tremendous achievements. Monday through Thursday Clark is completely unable to get off the ground. I suspect thoughts of Lana, sparking off an intense argument. Friday Clark returns of previous level of accomplishment.

Saturday, Clark discovers high-velocity flight. Most of the rest of Saturday is spent convincing Clark that he must either fly a lot **higher**, or learn how to **turn**. He opts for the former, and spends the vast majority of Sunday in the upper atmosphere, reversing the trade winds for fun.

Week Three: Clark masters turns and ll kinds of fancy stuff. Learns how to fly in various random positions (standing straight, upside down, asleep...). Kara stresses the importance of mental state, frequently referencing Peter Pan and 'happy thoughts'. Massive pillow fight ensues.

Clark secretly practices many hours in the barn, refusing to come out when Jimmy comes by to see Chloe. It should be noted, however, that when Lois comes to inquire about a Luthorcorp shipment going out in a few days, Clark hurries from the barn. He spends several minutes wandering around and offering his assistance, even though it's obviously Chloe and her laptop who are needed, not a superpowered farmboy. When Lois finally leaves, he spends several minutes walking around with a dopey expression on his face until Kara reminds him that he was practicing,

Kara narrowed her eyes. Seconds later, she was searing the air with her heat vision. Clark dropped out of the sky to avoid the blast, and for a moment, I thought he'd lost control of his flight, and resisted the temptation to close my eyes.

He recovered quickly and dodged to avoid Kara's next shot. Clark dodged effortlessly. Kara swiveled her head, keeping a steady stream of fire sizzling through the air after him. He laughed, dodging her best work easily.

Kara pursed her lips angrily. "Hey, are you gonna give him a challenge, or are we going to keep playing games?" I called to her. "Whatever you say, Dianne," she muttered.

And to my surprise, she sucked in a deep breath and proceeded to make use of her superbreath. The unexpected gust sent Clark spinning, and he had not recovered before Kara's next burst of heat vision seared a hole in his red jacket.

Kara launched herself skyward as he attempted to put out the flame sprouting on his shoulder. "Kara, what are you doing?" I called after her. "Aerial combat training!" I heard her scream, a second before she slammed into Clark.

I stared up at the red and yellow streaks in the sky. Occasionally, one of them would break speed, or I'd see a flash of heat vision, but it was more or less a tornadoing blur.

Suddenly, I heard the crunch of gravel on the driveway, and to my surprise, Lana pulled up in a sleek little European car. Life Lesson #14: Unless you're Lana Lang, never ever guy a hot pink car. Because **only** Lana can pull if off. Trust me, I've seen it.

Chloe stepped out of the passenger seat looking slightly frantic. "What is she **doing** here," I hissed as she came up to me. "I don't know," she whispered back. "I tried to convince her not to come back here, but she wouldn't listen to me!"

"Fine." I narrowed my eyes. "She won't listen to her friend? She's just made an enemy. If Lana comes back into his life, Clark will never go through with his destiny."

By then, Lana had reached us. I nodded tersely. "Hi Dianne!" she said in a falsely sweet voice. Chloe frowned at her tone. "Look, I'm sooo sorry about what I said to you before. See, I was just so upset, and--" "Oh cut the crap, Lana. We both know it isn't true," I interrupted. "What **is** true is that you don't like me, and I was never your biggest fain. And the fact that you actually came here today, I'm assuming to win Clark back, cemented my dislike of you."

Lana looked stunned. Apparently, no one ever said no when she gave them big doe eyes. "The fact is, Clark's moving on. He's not completely over you, but he wants to be. The best thing for all involved right now is for you to buy yourself a one-way ticket to Paris," I continued.

Lana's eyes narrowed, and her smile went sour. "I'll believe it when Clark tells me so himself," she said. "Now, where is he?" With a sigh, I pointed skyward, and said, "Those two have been at it for twenty minutes."

Chloe and Lana glanced upward,and their mouths dropped open simultaneously. "What the--?" Chloe whispered.

Doing that quotation mark thing with my fingers, I said, "Aerial combat training. Translation: Clark was having his final flight exam and the examiner got pissed." Chloe giggled. "Honestly, my money's on Kara," I continued.

Lana hissed something under her breath. "Would you **please** call them down for me?" she said out loud. "Sure, but only because Kara's probably burning a hole in the ozone layer with her heat vision," I said idly. "Oi! Kal-El! Get your butt down here! You've got company!"

Seconds later, Kara was standing there, with Clark in a headlock. "Told ya," I said smugly. Kara released him quickly, as she realized who was standing with me in the driveway.

As Clark straightened up, I noticed that Lana's sappy smile and doe eyes were back. Two face, I thought angrily.

"Clark, is there somewhere we can talk? Alone?" she asked pointedly. "Um... sure. Let's go up to the loft," he said. As they walked away, Kara, Chloe and I looked at each other.

"Would it be really wrong if I said I wanted to hear this?" I asked. Chloe shrugged. "I'd be lying if I said **I** didn't," she admitted. "And no matter what **I** want, I'll hear it anyway," Kara piped up. We looked at each other in silence for a few seconds more?" We looked at each other in silence for a few seconds more, and then we sprinted simultaneously for the barn.

We crouched together in the space under the loft. "--And the truth is, no matter what our differences, I still love you," Lana was saying. I heard Clark sigh. Oh no, I thought. Here comes the breakdown of all my hard work...

"Lana, I still have feelings for you," he said, and I groaned silently. "I still care about you and I always will. But I'm not in love with you." Wait, what? Did he actually just say that? Am I absolutely sure that this really is Clark and not Bizarro being freaky?

"But Clark," Lana whined. "That's a huge contradiction. If you have feelings for me--" "If I have feelings for you, they're fading. I loved you once, Lana. I said I'll always care about you, and that's the truth. But we can't be together anymore," Clark said firmly. Okay, so maybe it actually **was** Clark. Bizarro wouldn't be this nice.

"Clark," Lana said teasingly; you could have made candy from her voice, it was so sugary. "You said that once before, and you only did it to protect me. Why should I believe you?" "That was then, this is now. No tricks, no lies, just the truth. I don't love you. This is the truth. I wish I did, but I don't," Clark said. He didn't sound frustrated or angry, just very tired.

"But I--" Lana began, but Clark interrupted. "Please, Lana. Please stop this. I know this is difficult for you. It is for me too. So please just make this easier on both of us. Just... move on. See other people if you want. Maybe someday we can be friends?"

Chloe stared at me. I held up my hands and mimed applauding. She smiled. "Alright then," Lana sighed. "Goodbye, Clark." Then suddenly, I felt a hand on my arm and the next thing I knew, we were in the kitchen.

"Sorry," Kara said. "I heard Lana coming down from the loft, and I thought it would be a lot less suspicious if we were... well... not eavesdropping." Chloe nodded and I gave her a thumbs up.

"So..." Chloe said. "I guess this means they're really finished, doesn't it?" "Yeah, there's no going back from the stuff he said in there, is there?" Kara said. I nodded silently, listening to the sound of Lana's car pulling out of the driveway.

"So, in other news," I said after several minutes of silence, "What ever was the word on your job interview at the Star?" A huge grin broke across Chloe's face. "I got the job. It's not exactly the Planet, but it's a good way to reboot my career. They read some of my work and really liked it. They're sending me to Topeka tonight to cover the new mayor's inauguration weekend."

"Oh wow!" I said. "Chloe, that's great!" Kara nodded. I guess she wasn't too impressed. Which, when you've lived a life like hers... well... it's kind of obvious why. Not that didn't smile and high-five Chloe enthusiastically.

"Speaking of which, I should probably go. It's a long drive to Topeka, and I still have to pack." She headed for the door, then suddenly stopped. "Lana already left, didn't she?" I nodded and Chloe sighed. "Kara, I hate to ask, but could you...?" Kara nodded. "On the condition that you take me with you to Topeka tomorrow. I am **dying** to get out of Smallville."

"Dianne? You think you can hold down the fort here without us?" Chloe asked. I grinned. "If I couldn't, I wouldn't have been sent here, would I?" I said cryptically. "Well then. Sure you can come, Kara. You could probably use some time away from the Destiny Training, as it is." Chloe winked at me. "I'll let Clark know where you went," I told Kara.

Several hours later, I decided that Clark had spent enough time hiding in the barn.

"Clark?" I said, knocking on the handrail in the loft. He looked up from his seat on the ratty old sofa. "How are you?" I asked gently sitting down next to him.

"Honestly? I'm relieved. And **that's** what's weird. I shouldn't actually be **happy** about this, should I?" He looked so confused and forlorn that I laughed out loud.

"Yes, you should Clark. You did the right thing. If you'd made the wrong choice, do you actually think you'd feel good about it?" I said, still chuckling.

He smiled, but suddenly, his grin faded. "Dianne, I told Lana I still had some feelings for her, and it's true. But I've been thinking about a lot of things lately, and..." He trailed away. "And?" I prompted. "And..." he paused again, before rushing on, "Dianne, do you think it's possible for someone to have feelings for two people at the same time?"

I grinned. I knew exactly what was going on here. Even if he wouldn't admit it, Clark had gone soft on Lois Lane. But of course, he wasn't completely over Lana yet, and so he was confused.

"Clark, trust me. That's completely normal. It happens to plenty of people. But if my suspicions are correct... No!" I stopped myself. "No, I won't say that. That would be giving away too much." Clark raised his eyebrows. "I figure you can work this one out for yourself. And not just that, it'll probably go better if you **do**. Work it out, I mean. Just because I know all kinds of details about your future doesn't mean I get to be a tell-all," I explained. "Even though I'd like to," I muttered as an afterthought.

He grinned. "Anyway," I said, "I actually came up here to tell you that Kara's going to be spending a couple of days in Topeka with Chloe. And **I** have to go." Clark looked at me strangely. "Go where?" he asked. "Go to do what ever woman in your life- Chloe excepted- has done. I'm gonna go apply for a job at the Talon." He chuckled as I made my way out of the loft.

Halfway down the stairs, I paused and turned back. "Oh, and Kal-El? Fantastic final exam."

Clark opened his mouth to reply, but before he could speak, his phone rang. He picked it up and I continued down the stairs. I half-listened to his end of the conversation.

"Hi Jimmy. What's...? Oh no. But why are you--?" There was a sudden long silence, and I paused again. Something was wrong.

My thought was confirmed when Clark spoke again. His voice was flat and hollow, and there was something else in his tone that sent a shiver down my spine. "Okay. I have to... go now."

I raced back up the stairs in time to see him flip the phone shut. He was simply standing there stunned. His arm dropped to his side, and the phone slipped from his numb fingers to clatter on the floor.

I paused at the top of the stairs. "Clark, are you okay? What happened?" I asked. He looked at me mutely for a moment, then said. "There was an explosion down at the docks. One of Lex's warehouses. Lois... was inside. She's dead."

Note From Lara: Okay, okay, yes I do comprehend what I just did. But remember people... this is Smallville. Nothing is EVER what it seems. Be patient. Wait for the next chapter before you decide to freak out and swear at me. Reviews are always appreciated, of course, but I'd ask you to please refrain from venting your horrified shock at me.


	7. Heartbreak and Snoopery

"_Clark, are you okay? What happened?"_

"_There was an explosion down at the docks. One of Lex's warehouses. Lois... was inside. She's dead."_

The words hung in the air as I tried to comprehend what I'd heard. But there was no time for thinking, because Clark was losing it.

He took one shaky step forward, and then it was as though his legs just gave out. He collapsed to the floor of the loft and knelt there, staring at the floorboards.

I ran to his side. This was not good, this was definitely not good. This wasn't supposed to happen! It couldn't happen! It wasn't right!

As I knelt beside him, I saw Clark's fingers clench, and the planks in front of him shattered. He looked up at me with a wild, hollow look in his eyes. It was as though someone had reached inside him and plucked out his soul. "I loved her," he whispered. "I wouldn't have said so, but she was... perfect. And now she's gone." He shuddered. A tear spilled down his cheek. And then he started sobbing.

I wrapped my arm awkwardly around him. Usually I avoided these tense emotional times at all costs, but Clark needed me. He slumped sideways into my embrace and cried for what seemed like forever.

I rocked him gently, trying to sort through all of this. What had happened? This hadn't happened in the show, it wasn't supposed to happen at all. Lois Lane didn't- couldn't- die, because of _this_. The grief and shock radiating from Clark was like a palpable cloud hanging over us.

I'm not sure how long we sat like that. Clark sobbed for hours, screaming out his grief, which was wilder and more intense than I ever would have suspected. His attachment to Lois had clearly run deeper than I'd ever suspected.

By the time Clark finally quieted, the sun had set and a gibbous moon hung in the sky. He stood up hesitantly and stumbled down the stairs. I followed slowly.

In a kind of daze, Clark walked from the barn, across the yard and up the front steps. After a moment of standing in the kitchen and staring around in dim shock, he stumped up the stairs to his room and slammed the door shut behind him.

He needed some privacy, I decided, to work through his grief. Meanwhile, I had some serious digging to do. I glanced at the clock and realized it would have to wait. Three a. m. was not the time to be calling Jimmy, demanding the full story.

Regardless, this all felt wrong. Lois couldn't possibly be dead. That just wasn't how the story went. There was more here than met the eye, and I intended to find out what. However, it would have to wait until morning, I thought, and I curled up on the sofa.

Around six o'clock, I heard a faint creak in the hall. Opening my eyes, I saw Clark poking through the closet. He took out a familiar lead-lined box.

"Oh, no you don't!" I said, launching myself over the back of the couch. I hurried to his side. "You are _not_ going to do what I think you're going to do." He just looked at me. 'Kryptonite is _bad_ for you, okay? Now look, I know this is really hard, but you've just got to trust me that there's more going on here than meets the eye. I'm not sure what yet, but I'll figure it out. Until then, _please_ just hang on?" He nodded miserably and tripped back up the stairs.

After a few minutes, I heard a dull thumping and assumed he was beating his head on the wall. I could hear him sobbing quietly again. I sighed. This was going from bad to worse.

I didn't know what to do. I'd dealt with suicidal people before. A few of my foster parents had had chronic depression. I knew what happened when you tried to stop them from ending it. They fought, they kicked, they screamed. You had to sedate them.

But this was different; this listless heartbreak was like nothing I'd ever seen. It was like Clark had completely given up on life, on everything, and didn't even have the energy to try and make it end if he met with resistance. It scared me. The depth of emotion here was more than I could understand. Although, the fact was that all the emotion seemed to have been sucked out of the situation. It was as though he'd buried all the feeling beneath a kind of numbness. It was palpable even from downstairs.

About an hour later, I decided that it was late enough to call Jimmy. I went out to the barn and found Clark's phone. I scrolled through his list of contacts, found Jimmy's number, and dialed.

Jimmy picked up on the third ring. "Hey, C.K.," he said dully. "It's Dianne, actually. We met briefly the other day." "Yeah," Jimmy said. He sounded pretty deflated, too. "Well, I'm calling because Clark's a mess. He's absolutely devastated, and I need complete details on _exactly_ what happened."

Jimmy sighed. "Look, Dianne, I'm sure your heart's in the right place, but I don't think filling Clark in on all the gory details will make him feel better." "I know that," I said. "That's not why I want to know. I've got a hunch that... well, it's too complicated to explain. Just give me everything you've got."

"What do you mean? What hunch?" he asked. "Jimmy, I don't want to get your hopes up, but I think there's a chance Lois is still alive. Now, I'm not 100 sure about it--" Lie. "--But I have to try, you see? For Clark's sake." There was a pause. I could practically hear the wheels turning in Jimmy's head. "Okay," he said finally.

"Yesterday, she was getting frustrated about her investigation of Luthor. Said it was obvious he knew she was looking into him. But then she got a phone call, and she was really twitchy-nervous all of a sudden. Said she might have a lead. She told me she was going down to the dock to meet her source at Luthorcorp warehouse #17. Twenty minutes later, we heard the explosion."

"Oh god, Jimmy. How awful!" I said, but my heart wasn't in it. That sounded just a little... off... to me. Of course, I was looking through the filter of pre-knowledge.

"Yeah. We're all just kind of... shocked," Jimmy continued. "But anyway, the warehouse was being used to store fertilizer. They aren't sure what set them off, but they went up like..." Jimmy paused. "Anyway, they found her DNA in the building. Blood, hair, a few teeth..." He trailed away. "Bye, Jimmy! You've been a big help!" I said, and hung up quickly.

I nodded absently to myself. Explosions certainly were becoming Smallville women's preferred method of faux death. And since Lois didn't have a nice little convenient little dead clone lying around... ripping out hair and cutting herself for some blood wasn't creepy _at all_.

Because judging by the conversation I'd overheard between her and Chloe, this had been some time coming. Can you say 'obsessed'? I sighed. Clark Kent had weird taste in women. What was _with_ the Juliet routine? I mean, sure Chloe had no choice, and Lana was all schizoid in the first place, but Lois? You'd think a woman characterized by level-headedness and cool intellect would know better!

But I guess I kind of understood where she was coming from. I mean, if I came up against my super-evil new editor who was willing to kill whoever it took for him to have his way... I would fight him with everything I had, do whatever it took to bring him down. Especially if I _didn't_ know that my best friend (and secret heartthrob) was his superpowered alien nemesis who could totally take him out.

I just wouldn't... you know... pretend to _die_. Maybe there was something in the water. Oh wait. This is Smallville. Of course there was something in the water. It's called fricking _kryptonite_!

In reality, living in this particular dimension kind of sucks. Oh well. Whatever. Time to call Chloe.

Actually, it turned out to be Kara who picked up. "Hello?" "Kara, it's Dianne. Listen, get Chloe back here ASAP. If you have to carry her in one hand and her car in the other, I don't care. Just hurry." I knew that Chloe was working, and I hated to ask her to sacrifice her career for this, but Clark really needed her. Or, more accurately, I needed her hacking skills to help Clark.

"Look, tell her that the supposed tragedy- Lois, I mean- isn't supposed to happen. I have a suspicion that Lois might not be dead." "Okay," Kara said. "I can be there in half an hour." "Thank you so much Kara. Please hurry."

The time passed slowly. I kept glancing at the clock, watching the hands move so slowly. Five minutes... ten... fifteen... After fifteen minutes, an idea occurred to me. I went up to Kara's and my shared room and looked through Kara's closet. I was only a little taller than she was. Something in here had to fit me...

Finally, I heard a thump in the driveway. I stepped outside to see Kara lowering Chloe's car onto the gravel. "Hi!" I called. "Thank god you're here!" "Okay, what's the big emergency?" Chloe asked, looking kind of pissed. Which I guess made sense; after all, I'd asked her to jeopardize her new job with only a nebulous explanation.

"Do the words 'Clark tried to commit suicide this morning' mean anything to you?" Sudden understanding dawned on Kara's face, while Chloe just looked confused. "How?" I sighed. That was a really stupid question. "He got out the kryptonite he keeps in the closet. Thank god I was awake." Chloe's eyes widened.

"Look, Kara told you my hunch, didn't she? That Lois might not be dead?" Chloe nodded, shock and horror still written in every line of her face. "Well, I need to find proof of it. And then I need to find Lois. And for that, I need your hacking skills. What time is this inaugural ceremony you have to attend?" I asked. "Six o'clock tonight," Chloe responded "Good. That gives us... ten hours."

"But... Dianne, are you sure?" Kara asked. I nodded. "I'm sure. I know how the story goes. Lois being dead doesn't factor in." Chloe sighed. "What?" I asked defensively. "Well, Dianne, isn't it possible that you're... you know... wrong?" "What do you mean?" I asked, shocked. I _knew_ what was supposed to happen. Didn't Chloe understand that?

"It's just... you may have read all these details of our lives, you may think you know how it's all supposed to turn out, but... Life isn't a story. And if you're wrong... she's my cousin. I can't stand it." Oh. Once again, Dianne! Let's see you stick your foot in your mouth again!

Quickly, I tried to explain. "There might be some minor details I'll get wrong- there are so many different retellings of the same theme that there's no way to be sure. But the big things, there's no way I'm wrong. Clark and Lois are... destiny. As much as Clark hates that word, it's true. No matter what version of the story, those two souls travel through time together. The same two people, destined to be together every time they're reborn."

Chloe simply looked at me. "I know it sounds corny, and yes, Clark is Kryptonian... but only in this lifetime. Souls aren't bound that way." I realized I was babbling and tried to wrap this up. "Those two _will_ be together this time around. That's how it is. That's the one constant. In the beginning, the first time Kal-El was heard of in my world, there was no Daily Planet, no Jimmy Olsen, no Kara, no Krypton, no Chloe or Lana or Smallville. The only one who's _always_ been there is Lois Lane. So, yes. I'm sure."

Chloe still didn't look convinced, but I could tell that she was willing to help now, at least. Small favors, I guess.

"Alright people! Let's get to this. Chloe, you get inside and start researching Luthorcorp warehouse Number 17. Start with security records. Kara, I want you flying over every inch of Lowell County, scan every building and every cornfield with your X-ray vision," I said. "And what are you going to do?" Chloe asked. I smoothed down the skirt of the gray business suit I'd found in Kara's closet. "Me? I'm going to pay a visit to Lex Luthor." I gave them a wicked grin. "I should be back in... say... fifteen minutes. Get to work.." Chloe pulled out her laptop and headed into the house, Kara took off, and I made a massive leap in the direction of the Luthor mansion.

"Mr. Luthor, there's a woman here to see you. Miss Dianne Despido. Says she's a reporter for the Metropolis Star."

Lex Luthor looked up at his personal assistant. "Tell her to go away. I don't do one-on-one interviews." The short, blonde woman bit her lip. "She said if you didn't want to talk to her, I was supposed to tell you she knows about Project Gemini." Lex's face remained impassive, but there was a spark of interest in his eyes now. "Send her in," he said brusquely.

I had wrestled my long pale braid up into a bun, and wedged my feet into a pair of Kara's too-small pumps to make me look older. I hoped it would be enough to keep up the charade long enough to get the answers I wanted.

"Mr. Luthor--" I began, but he interrupted, rising from his desk and coming around to stand very close to me. I was glad I was so tall. I could glare right back at him. "What do you know about Project Gemini?" he all but screamed. Calmly, I smiled at him. "Nothing. It was just a name that popped up in my research." Lex took a step back from me. It was clear that he realized he'd made a mistake menacing me. I quirked my mouth and raised my eyebrows in my best 'I've got you now' face.

"I want to ask you a few questions about the explosion in your warehouse yesterday," I said. "My warehouse..." Lex said, confused. "Oh yes. The one I sold to Queen Industries three weeks ago." I blinked. That was unexpected. But I could still make something of this. "You and Oliver Queen aren't exactly on friendly terms. That warehouse was a key part of a business transaction he has in the works. Quite unfortunate, isn't it, that it exploded." "If you're implying that I had something to do with that terrible accident, I'm sorry to disappoint you, but I can't help you."

Lex seemed sincere. But then, he always did. Of course, with the revelation that Oliver Queen was the true owner, he actually might be. But that didn't mean that I had to like him. Or that I had to leave him on the top in this battle of words.

"Very well," I said, and made my way to the door. I paused for a moment as if I'd just remembered something. I looked back over my shoulder. "Grant Gabriel didn't deserve what you did to him. You remember how you once said that there was a darkness in you that you couldn't always control, that it was creeping over the corners? Remember how you said that you were terrified of becoming your own worst enemy?"

Lex's eyes widened slightly at my extensive knowledge of private things he'd said to Clark Kent. "Well, you've become that person. You are evil, Lex Luthor. Oh, and about your little project you had going underneath Reeves Dam... I won't say anything about it if you don't." Lex's mouth opened slightly. "Oh... and Lex?" I said offhandedly. "I'm not a reporter." And with that, I left the room. By the time he had strode to the doorway, I was long gone.

I burst through the door of the Kent's farmhouse. Chloe looked up from her seat at the table, and we said at the same time, "Luthorcorp sold the warehouse to Queen Industries!" And then we both blinked. At that exact moment, Kara touched down in the yard.

"Guess what!" Chloe shouted to her when she entered the house, "Lex didn't own the warehouse. He'd just sold it to Oliver Queen!" "Who, it just so happens, Lois used to date," I added, which only increased the stunned expression on Kara's face.

"Think she called in a favor from her ex?" Kara asked. "Only one way to find out," I said. "Chloe, are you still on Watchtower duty?" Chloe grinned. "Yep."

I had reminded Clark of his promise not to do anything drastic, told him we were going away for a little bit, but that we'd be back. Now we were hovering over Oliver Queen's apartment in Metropolis.

"Is he in there?" I asked Kara. She nodded, and swooped down to land on the balcony. Looking through the glass doors at a stunned-looking Oliver Queen, I smiled. The three of us strode through the doors. "Chloe, what are you...? Who are--?" Oliver stuttered.

"Hi. You don't know me. I'm Dianne, a friend of Clark Kent's. This is Kara, Clark's cousin. We need your help," I said quickly.

Oliver smiled awkwardly. "When have I ever been able to refuse three gorgeous blondes? How much do you need?" he asked, clearly clinging to the facade of his wealthy secret identity. "Oh, cut the crap, Arrow," I said. "We know that you bought the Luthorcorp warehouse that exploded recently. We need to speak to Lois Lane."

I caught the flash of panic that crossed his face at Lois's name. "I hate to break it to you," he said, directing his comment at Chloe, the only one here he knew, "But your cousin's really gone. I don't know what you came here expecting, but--" "Please, Oliver," Chloe said. "It's very important that we speak to her."

Oliver sighed. "She's dead," he said. "I don't know what crazy thing you've got going on here, what kind of denial you're going through, but I haven't got a clue where she is except to tell you to look in the city morgue." Now _that_ was just mean. Chloe's face registered shock and pain at his comment. "Mr. Queen," Kara said. "It's absolutely vital that we speak to her. It's a matter of life or death. My cousin is... very upset."

He was getting frustrated. "If you want to talk to her, just go find some psychic and have a séance," he said angrily. And that was it. I knew Chloe wasn't entirely convinced that Lois was alive, and this denial was hurting her. For second time since arriving in this dimension, I completely lost my temper and snapped.

Crossing the room in two strides, I seized Oliver Queen by his expensive collar and hoisted him over my head. He stared down at me in surprise. "Kara's not the only one in this room with impressive abilities, Mr. Queen," I said. "I came from another dimension to help Clark sort out his life, help him accept his destiny, and Lois Lane is a huge part of that destiny. I know she's not dead every bit as much as you do. Refusing to tell us where she is is not only causing Chloe pain, but it's also delaying the moment when I can tell Clark she's alive. And every second he grieves is another opportunity for him to do something... drastic. I am _not_ going to stand by while the single most important man in the Milky Way galaxy loses his mind because you were too damn stubborn to tell me the truth!"

I lowered Ollie to the floor again. "Now, are you going to tell me where she is or not?"I asked furiously, staring at him. He blinked. "What... are you talking about?" he asked quietly.

"Does it really matter?" I said, glaring. "We're pressed for time here, Oliver." He sighed, and picked up the button that opened the door to his secret room. The door slid apart to reveal Lois in among his Green Arrow gear, typing away on a computer.

She looked up and gasped. Chloe burst into tears and ran forward to seize Lois in a tight hug. "Oh god, Lois... Don't you ever do that again! You had me scared to death," she whispered.

"What were you thinking?" Kara asked harshly. "Why did you... do whatever you did?" Lois sighed. "Don't you see? It's Lex. He's psycho. He was going to kill me for real if I didn't take care of that first. I had to make him think I was dead to continue my investigation." I smiled, but it wasn't genuine. "Do I get to say 'I told you so'? Or is that really heartless?" I asked.

"Lex isn't worth it. He'll get what's coming to him," I continued. "Just let it be. There are other people who can fight this fight. Let it be, Lois." To my surprise, she nodded. "You could be right." "No, I _am_ right," I said.

"Lois, tell us what happened!" Chloe said suddenly. Lois pursed her lips, and sat down on the step. "Well, Lex came by my desk a few weeks ago. He said that he knew I was looking into him. He made a big deal about how there should be employee-employer trust and he didn't do anything wrong. Total bullshit, of course. But- and these were his exact words- he said, 'I have friends who are very... protective... of me. They don't like people insulting my honor through investigations like yours. I would be absolutely devastated if they got the wrong impression. Something... unfortunate... might happen.' Then he walked away.

"So I called in a few favors from Ollie, here. He bought a Luthorcorp warehouse. The documents hadn't been officially handed over yet, but the cash had changed hands, so..." She trailed away, leaving me to decipher what she meant.

"Anyway, we rigged up a gas explosion with some bags of fertilizer. I planted some hairs and blood, and found a few of my baby teeth the General had squirreled away. That way, it would look like I really had been in the building. I walked in, then Ollie set a loop in the cameras. Long enough for me to get away, so the security footage showed me still in the building. Then I came here to start my research again. I've turned up a lot of stuff in the past few hours that I'd never have found otherwise..."

She trailed off again, and I used the moment to speed our return to the town of perpetual screwiness.

"Lois, come back with us!" I said. "Clark's really... um... worried about you. I'd like to prove to him that you're still alive." A little flicker of emotion crossed her face.

"Clark's... really upset?" Lois said. I smiled to myself. "Yeah. He cried for hours last night. Look, will you just come on?" Oliver sighed. "Lois, are you sure you should go out? I mean, if someone catches sight of you, there could be... repercussions. No one can know you're still alive." She nodded. "Of course. But if I'd known my friends would be so upset..." She headed for the elevator, the three of us following close behind.

"Lois, did you really think we wouldn't miss you? I mean, I barely know you, but I was still seriously freaked out when I heard about..." I stopped. There was no way to keep talking that wouldn't reveal my status as self-proclaimed 'Alt-universe chick'.

She shrugged. "I don't know what I was thinking, really. But I just _have_ to get enough evidence to send Lex to jail for a good long time. It's about all the lives he could ruin, all the people he could kill. I wasn't thinking about the effect it could have on the... on my friends." Was it just me, or was there another ending to that sentence that didn't quite make it out?

Chloe spent most of the taxi ride (because of course our previous method of travel would be a little hard to explain) enumerating how we'd figured out where she was. I simply stared out the window, wondering how long it could possibly take to get to Smallville at this speed. It seemed to take forever, and the whole time I continued to run through everything desperate Clark could have done in the time we'd been gone. It was sheer torture. I had a feeling Kara was similarly preoccupied.

Finally we pulled up in front of the Kent farm. Chloe paid the cab driver, and we hurried up the front steps. "He's probably still in his room," I said softly. The four of us rushed up the stairs to Clark's bedroom. I knocked quietly. "Clark, are you in there?"

"Go away," he muttered, a quaver in his voice. I glanced over my shoulder at the other three, and noticed that Lois's eyes were huge. "No, Clark. I will not go away. And neither will the rest of us." I grabbed the doorknob and forced the door open.

As we entered the room, I heard Chloe gasp. Kara simply looked disgusted. Lois was behind me so I couldn't see her reaction, but I knew I was stunned. The room was totally trashed. Clark's desk had been overturned, his computer screen smashed in, and there were massive dents and holes all over the walls. Clark himself was lying face down on the bed, his shoulders shaking slightly.

"Oh god," Lois whispered. "Oh Clark... I didn't know you'd..." At the sound of her voice, Clark's head came up. If I'd thought the room looked bad, it was nothing to how he looked. His hair was a knotted mess, short though it was, he hadn't shaved, and his eyes were red and still full of tears.

Lois stepped out from behind me, and at the sight of her, Clark's face lit up. He hauled himself to his feet faster than I'd ever seen him move without superspeed. Lois took a few steps toward him and opened up her arms. He threw himself into her embrace, and as he stroked her hair, I heard him whisper, "Oh thank god," over and over again.

After a moment, he pulled back slightly to stare into her eyes. "I thought you were dead," he said softly. Lois smiled awkwardly, and said, "Yeah, that was a kind of bad idea, I guess."

I backed out of the room, drawing Kara and Chloe with me. "I think we should give them a little time to talk it out," I said when we reached the living room. The three of us sat down on the sofa and stared at each other for several minutes.

"So much for Mission Impossible," I said. "That was pretty easy." I was relieved. This could be the thing that tipped the scales in Lois's favor... "Yeah," Chloe said. "Wow, though. The way he looked when we first came in..."

Kara nodded. "That's what he gets for being raised among humans." I crossed my arms and raised an eyebrow. "Hello, welcome to Earth. Everybody here but you and Kal-El happens to be human. Well, except for a bunch of random people, but most of them aren't here right now..." My mind drifted to Arthur Curry. Kara smiled apologetically. "Sorry. I tend to forget, sometimes."

Suddenly I realized that the voices from above us had changed pitch. "Yeah? Well you know what I think? I think you've got an abandonment complex. And you know what? I don't care! And no, I won't drop the investigation into Lex!" Lois yelled.

"Lois, you were driven to faking your death! Lex ruins everyone who gets involved with him, even as indirectly as you are!" Clark was shouting- odd for him.

"Oh yeah? Then how did you escape unscathed and whole? You were his best friend for years!"

Clark's voice dropped to a more reasonable tone. "I don't know. I think he did change me... But I don't want him to change you! You're too good for that." Suddenly his voice changed to its previous ear-splitting tones. "Please, Lois! Just think about what you're doing!"

"No, Clark! It doesn't work like that. Sometimes doing the right thing means taking some risks! The world _needs_ someone who's willing to stand up to that maniac!" Lois stormed down the stairs, Clark right behind her. "Just because _you're_ too chicken--" "_I'm_ chicken? Who was the one who fake-killed herself just because Lex threatened her a little?"

"Just what are you accusing me of? Oh forget it Smallville- I'm going back to my investigation. And remember, I'm dead. You haven't seen me, haven't--" "No, Lois. I'm not gonna keep up this stupid charade for you! It's not necessary, if you want information, all you had to do was tell me what you were--" "Oh yeah, 'cause you can really get me what I'm looking for." "Well, maybe I can. I was his best friend, remember?"

The pair of them stormed through the house, still shouting at each other, out into the driveway. Lois's car door opened, and I heard her voice make one last shrill remark, then the door slammed shut. I heard the sound of tires on gravel.

The three of us looked at each other. Chloe looked faintly stunned. "Well," I said slowly. "I guess some things never change." Kara nodded. "I guess not.

A Note From Lara: See? I told you all not to panic. Do you love it? Hate it? Think I'm an asshole? Just remember : A good reader is one who leaves reviews (HINT HINT HINT!!). If anybody has some suggestions, let me know. I feel a bout of writer's block coming on and need story ideas quick to head it off. (Yet another massive HINT!!)


	8. Arrogance and Omens

A Note From Lara: Okay, I'd just like to thank **MysticWolf1** for the best (and longest) review I have ever received. She pointed out some flaws in the story, and helped me see where to go on from here. Thank you so much, you've given me some great ideas on how to correct my issues within the story, how to resolve some character problems...

After reading her review, I've realized how much of a mistake Clark's reaction to Lois's 'death' was. I knew at the time that it was kind of out of character, but that review made it hit home just how MUCH it's off. Therefore, I'd like to formally apologize to all of you. Sorry that was so... I don't even know what to call it ;)

I know this is a short chapter, and I apologize for that as well. I just started school again and won't have a lot of time to write, you see, so I'm trying to get this posted ASAP to tide you over until my next post. Also, I'd like to let you know- this is the first time in the entire story that the POV switches from Dianne's POV to normal third-person.

"Clark, put them on!" "I don't want to, they're annoying." "You're invulnerable, it's not like they hurt, just put them on!" "No." "You know this is an argument you're not going to win, just put them on already!" The raised voices were incongruous against the beautiful Kansas sunset.

I was glad once again that I was so tall for a girl, as I stood in the farmhouse's homey kitchen and stared Clark down. Arguing with Superman would be a lot harder if I were shorter.

The pair of thick-framed glasses in my hand was about to snap in my grip, and I set them down carefully. I'd grown much stronger in the week since bringing Lois out of hiding, and I was getting really tired of breaking things accidentally. Three hours reconstructing the granite countertop with superglue had taught me some control, but glasses were so fragile...

I took a deep breath and pointed at the glasses. "Put. Them. On. They're part of your secret identity." "I don't want to." "Kal-El, you sound like a four-year-old. Grow up," I growled.

Kara wandered through the kitchen, shaking her head in amazement over a copy of _Seventeen_. "You argue with Dianne almost as much as you do with Lois," she muttered as she crossed the room.

"Who is this Lois you speak of?" Clark said disdainfully. Kara sighed. "Dianne's right, Kal-El. You're being infantile. You can't pretend that Lois doesn't exist forever." "Me, the infantile one? She's the one who _faked her own death_ to get a story!" Clark said incredulously.

Kara rolled her eyes. Both of us had heard the same thing so many times in the past week, we mostly ignored it when he ragged on Lois. He hadn't talked to her since their argument the day she 'came back from the dead', and whenever one of us mentioned her, he pretended not to know her. It really _was_ immature.

As Kara walked out of the room, I returned to the original purpose of this confrontation. "I'm going to make this very clear, once. And then you're going to wear the glasses every day, and you're not going to complain. Is that understood?" I asked firmly. Clark sighed and looked at the ceiling. "Fine."

"Now, you remember how I explained the multiverse to you?" Clark nodded. "Well, most of it will go the same way as Krypton if you don't accept your destiny. You won't go out and be a superhero without a secret identity that can live an- airquotes- "normal" life, correct? You also refuse to wear a mask, which I think is probably a good idea, since people will trust you more without one. And since the 'secret' in secret identity implies that people don't realize that Clark Kent is also the caped savior, there has to be _some_ kind of disguise."

Clark gave me a wry smile. "So basically, you're saying that the entire universe explodes if I don't put on this pair of glasses right now?" I turned my head and raised my eyebrows, grinning wickedly. He rolled his eyes, and slipped the glasses on.

"Now, give it a few weeks for people to kind of forget what you looked like without them, and then we can move on to phase two of reinventing Clark Kent. Speaking of which, did you fill out that job application I gave you?"

Clark sighed. "Yes," he muttered. "I still don't like the idea of working for Lex." I rolled my eyes. "Clark, how many times do I have to explain this to you? Lex won't be owning the Planet for much longer. There'll be a new editor pretty soon anyway."

He nodded. "Okay, I get that. But I'd still be working for him for awhile."

I bit my tongue to hold back a sharp remark, turned abruptly, and made my way up to my shared room. It was time to rethink my strategy. I flumped down on the bed, staring out the window

I'd gotten past some of the major hurdles in getting him to accept his destiny- the flying, the Lana- but from this point on, it was all the tricky little things. It could require more subtlety than screaming.

Not that I wouldn't get heavy-handed again if it was necessary (or, you know, if I got pissed enough), but I was tired of having to bully him into everything. I mean, what was I? Jor-El?

And speaking of Daddy Krypton, shouldn't he be backing me up here? No matter how he was portrayed on the TV show, I knew for a fact that the son of Yar-El had nothing but his son's (and Earth's) best interests at heart. He and I were working towards the same goal. But you'll notice, there was no random disembodied voice belting out commands at the top of his nonexistent lungs.

I sighed. I'd gotten so much accomplished on my checklist. What now? I seemed to have hit a sticking point, and as always, Lex was the cause. Clark HAD to go to work at the Daily Planet, but he didn't want to work for Lex.

Oh well. I was the girl who'd taught Clark Kent to fly. I'd figure something out...

Lex Luthor's library was dark. A fire in the fireplace cast ghostly shadows across the walls. The only other light in the room came from the glowing screen of the laptop on Lex's desk. The pale light cast a sickly pallor across the face of the man himself, seated before the computer, running through a long stretch of security footage.

His eyes narrowed suddenly, and he paused the video. He zoomed in on the captured image, highlighting the figure in the center of the screen. Once the resolution on the video still became crystal clear, Lex hit the 'Print' button.

As the image was printing, Lex hit the call button to summon his personal secretary. After a moment, the young blonde woman walked in. "Yes, Mr. Luthor?" she asked.

Lex smiled ominously. "Ms. Mannilow. There's something I need you to do for me. You see the woman in this photo? I want you to find her."

Ms. Mannilow took the sheet of paper from Lex's hands and surveyed the aforementioned woman. More of a girl, really, she decided. She was tall, with a great deal of pale blonde hair bound up in a tight bun. Her eyes were an unnatural shade of green. Ms. Mannilow thought she remembered her from a few days earlier. The girl had shown up at the front door, claiming to be a reporter, and demanded that she speak with Lex.

She wanted desperately to ask who the girl was, but she had worked for Lex Luthor for years, and knew better than to ask questions. "Very well, Mr. Luthor," she said calmly.


	9. What? What Just Happened?

A Note From Lara: It's been SO long since I've updated, and I'm really sorry. I've started a couple new fics (which I REALLY shouldn't have done, I know, with all the ones I'm still working on), and updated some others I haven't worked on in some time. So now, I'm finally getting around to my very first fic again. It's a relatively short chapter again, but I'm going to be working in short chapters for awhile. Lex's plotting is going to get SUPER complicated, and it'll require some delicate handling for me to not screw it up completely. So... bits and pieces it is.

But before I get on with the story, I have a special thank-you to send out into cyberspace. I'd like to extend my eternal gratitude to Caroline Cooney. Her trilogy, the 'Losing Christina' series, gave me the inspiration for the things that Lex is going to do to Dianne in the next chapters. Ms. Cooney, you are an amazing brilliant writer. I know she'll never read this, but for those of you who haven't read about Christina... you should. Never before has a seventh grader been so brave or strong. Ever. And never has a school principal and his English-teacher wife been so vindictively evil. Thank you, Ms. Cooney.

--

It was weird, seeing Clark in glasses. He didn't look like the same guy.

Life Lesson #14: Just because Dean Cain, brilliant portrayer of Clark on 'Lois and Clark', looked **really** hot in glasses, doesn't mean that the real Clark necessarily will. Actually, he didn't look like too good at all. Guess that just goes to show you.

It didn't matter, though. The only thing that was really important now was getting him and Lois back on speaking terms. I borrowed the battered red Ford and drove across town to the Talon. I stopped first downstairs and handed over the job application I'd filled out for myself, then mounted the stairs and knocked on the apartment door.

After a few moments, Lois answered the door. "Hey, Dianne," she said. She'd come out of hiding a few days earlier, having been unable to find even the slightest shred of incriminating evidence against Lex.

"Hey," I replied. "Look, I know you and Clark aren't on the best terms right now, but... I'd like you to come over to the farm and talk to him. All the infantile 'silent treatment' crap is driving me nuts. Maybe if you two just duke it out, all the awkward tension will just resolve itself."

Lois raised her eyebrow. "You mean you actually want me to go talk to that jerk, so he can say 'I told you so'? Not likely. Thanks for your concern, Dianne, but... no thanks." She slammed the door shut.

I stood staring at the painted wood. What had I done wrong? Things tended to just fall into place when I nudged events a little. What made this time different?

--

Ms. Mannilow waited respectfully until Lex finished his phone call. Then she entered his study.

"My. Luthor. I've completed the investigation you asked me to."

"And what did you turn up?"

"The girl's name is not Dianne Despido. It's Dianne Morton, and she's approximately 16 years old. She's been staying on the Kent farm for approximately five weeks. Someone remembered her running into Clark Kent at the Talon. Apparently he invited her to stay with himself and Miss Lang that very day. Ever since, according to... various sources... there's been quite an upheaval among Mr. Kent's inner circle."

Lex nodded. "And before she came to stay with Clark?"

Ms. Mannilow nodded. This was the bombshell, the thing that would cement her as Luthor's personal assistant for good. A self-congratulatory smile wrapped itself across her face. She set down a slim file on the desk before Lex. "Before that... there's nothing. No medical records. No birth certificate. No parents, no friends, nothing at all. Before five weeks ago, Dianne Morton didn't exist. So I ran her picture through a facial recognition program. I checked her image against every police record, every school record, every photo in Luthorcorp's database, every picture across the internet. Nothing. This girl has either never been photographed- which seems unlikely- or she literally didn't exist."

Lex's eyes widened. This was unexpected. Always before, he had been able to uncover _something_. Everyone had secrets, everyone had a past. Except this Dianne Morton, apparently.

"So I snuck into the farmhouse. Lifted fingerprints, found a few of her hairs, the usual. I ran her fingerprints and hair against records and a DNA scan. Her fingerprints aren't in any police database on the planet. Her DNA doesn't have even a partial match anywhere in the US. She literally doesn't exist."

"Except for the fact that she does," Lex said, drawing his own conclusions. "She's a threat. She knows things she shouldn't-- _couldn't_ know. She's far too insightful, and has information about private conversations she couldn't have heard."

Ms. Mannilow kept her features carefully schooled. She didn't want to say what she had to say next. It went completely against everything she had ever stood for. It went against who she was. But for her to maintain this position, she had to say it. "Do you want me to authorize someone to... deal with her?" she asked.

Lex shook his head. "I always feel so disappointed in myself when I have to eliminate someone. It's like I've... let myself down. No, I think we can afford to be creative here. Dianne seems to have a tendency to be absolutely infuriating, and she's rather fascinating. No, she can live... for now. And perhaps it will give me the opportunity to get back at Clark Kent for all he's taken from me over the years..."

He gestured to his personal assistant. Mannilow walked around to his side of the desk and leaned in. He whispered something at great length in her ear. "I understand," she said, and walked out of the office.

Ms. Mannilow was full of self-loathing. She would do as Lex asked. But she didn't like it. She understood _why_ she was doing it, but she just couldn't... even her intentions didn't justify what she was about to do. Dianne didn't deserve what was about to come crashing down upon her...

--

ANOTHER Note From Lara: Ooh, yes. Something very bad is going to happen. One of my big issues as a writer is that I'm good at the big sweeping conflicts, titanic battles, etc. But the subtler things, psychological games that are drawn out over months or longer, and the complex interweavings, the betrayals and complicated alliances... I'm not so good at that. I'm using this fic as an opportunity to work on that. So here we go. If I'm able to do this right (please god, please!), it's going to be a helluva ride.

As always, reviews are appreciated!


	10. Mrs Kent, the Lying Sneak

For the third time that day, I tripped over my own feet and dropped boiling hot coffee all over myself and the floor. Sky, the Talon's part-time manager, was getting increasingly frustrated with me. Hell, I was frustrated with myself! Here I was, Dianne Morton,the girl who taught Clark Kent how to fly, the girl who could herself leap tall buildings in a single bound, barely able to carry a tray of drinks without causing a disaster. What was wrong with me?

I sighed, rubbed my scraped elbow, and set out to find a mop, and a dustpan to sweep up the glass fragments. This day was a 6.8 on the Richter scale of disasters. Not only had Lana shown up (again) demanding that Clark take her back (again), not only had there been a mass breakout from Belle Reeve, not only was Kara in a huffy mood and taking it out on Smallville's windmills, but I couldn't even _walk_ straight for god's sake!

"Dianne," Sky called to me. "I know it's your first day, but you really need to put more effort into this." I nodded. Her red hair, tied up in it's tight ponytail, swung around and caught me in the face as she turned away to busy herself making somebody's latte.

--

Two hours later, my shift in the coffee shop ended, and I leaped the distance back to the Kent farm easily. I raised my eyebrows at Kara, who was standing in the driveway hurling gravel into outer space. "Something bothering you?" I asked. She glared at me. "Okay, okay. Pretend I didn't ask," I muttered. "Geez, touchy."

I entered the kitchen's farmhouse, and was greeted by the sight of Clark sitting there, laughing and joking with Mrs. Kent. As I entered, she turned suddenly to me. "Clark, who's this?" she asked. There was something in her voice, but I couldn't quite tell what it was.

"Oh, this is Dianne, Mom. It's kind of hard to explain, but she's here to help me fulfill my destiny or something." Clark said, shrugging off the question. I was hurt. Even if I _was_ kind of pushy and harsh, didn't I at least deserve more acknowledgment than that? But then again, I was just Dianne. Nothing special, nothing important. Just the tool to fix someone else's life. Use and throw away. That's me.

Mrs. Kent smiled, but there was an edge to it. "Nice to meet you, Dianne." For a moment, her light blue eyes flickered, and I could swear they turned _black_. But it was so quick I couldn't be sure.

--

Life on the farm was relatively normal. Mrs. Kent reclaimed her room. I stayed in Clark's room, while Kara took hers back. Clark slept on the couch. I started to gain footing at the Talon, learned my way around. Lois continued to avoid both Clark and myself. Chloe buried herself in her writing at the Metropolis Star. Kara spent three days in Brazil doing god knows what.

Then, one morning, I was sitting in the barn watching the sunrise. Clark wasn't up yet (for once), and Kara had jaunted off somewhere else in the world. Suddenly, I heard footsteps behind me, and turned around. Mrs. Kent had ascended the steps.

"Morning, Mrs. K," I said. She raised her eyebrows at the nickname. "Sorry, bad joke," I sighed. "I was just thinking, you know? Red K, black K, blue K, Mrs. K..." I trailed away pathetically. Was that _really_ the best I could do?

Mrs. Kent stood at the top of the stairs. "Dianne, you're threatening my son's happiness," she said simply. "You will stop what you're doing right now." I blinked. What? What the hell? Her voice suddenly changed. It didn't sound like Mrs. Kent's voice, and yet it was eerily familiar. But I just couldn't place it... "You heard me," she said. "All he wants is to remain on the farm. You will stop now."

I couldn't even comprehend what she was saying, I couldn't wrap my mind around it. "And if you do not stop, bad things will happen to you." My jaw dropped. What the hell? I knew Mrs. Kent was protective, but _this_? What was this? Had she gone insane?

Suddenly, Clark appeared at the bottom of the stairs. I was about to open my mouth to tell him what had happened, when Mrs. Kent fled downstairs. "Oh god, Clark! She's... she was threatening me!" she gasped, positioning herself behind me.

"What? No! I-" I began, then floundered. How could I even explain what had just happened? "No, she said to keep away from you!" I finally stuttered out.

"No, no Dianne. I heard _your _voice making threats," he said. Oh... so _that_ was why her voice had sounded so strange when it changed. It was my voice. Coming from Mrs. Kent's mouth.

Whatever this was, it was a terribly dangerous situation. Mrs. Kent was not Mrs. Kent, that much was certain. But who was she?

"No, Clark, it wasn't me. Something weird's going on here!" I insisted.

Then Mrs. Kent's hand moved. If I hadn't been watching her, I'd have missed it. But her hand brushed across her son's shoulder, and he shook his head as though dazed. "Dianne, look, you've had a really hard time lately. I mean, you got yanked out of your own universe with no warning. Maybe the stress is just too much for you. You should go rest awhile. Stop trying to mess with my life. Just enjoy _your_ life, work your job. Maybe we can get you enrolled in school."

"What? No!" I gasped. What was going on here? And then something horrible happened. Tears welled up in my eyes, and spilled across my cheeks. I hadn't cried since the night my parents died! Why was I crying now?

But I couldn't let them see. I couldn't let Mrs. Kent- or whoever she was- see my weakness, couldn't let Clark know how much I was bothered. I made a running leap out of the loft, flying out the hay door and landing in the gravel driveway. I took off like a shot up the road, desperate to get away, as far away as possible...

--

**A Note From Lara: Yeah, I know that's really weird. No, it's _probably_ not what you're thinking. What it is is a good guy who has to do some very bad things in order to make the world come out right. And... just a hint as to who our mystery anti-heroine is: She's never been seen on Smallville (although she_ has _been seen in this fic before...), and she can shape-shift. That's all I'm saying. See if you can figure _that_ one out... **


	11. So Stupid

I breathed hard, steadying myself, as I ran. The tears that had been forming in my eyes dried up.

Suddenly, an iron hand clasped down on my wrist. I whipped around and saw Clark standing there, anger and sadness mixed in equal parts on his face. He released me, taking off his glasses and rubbing the bridge of his nose.

"Dianne, I just don't know what you're doing. Have you gone _insane_?" he half-shouted, his internalized fury showing through in his voice. I started backward, shocked. What was this? Where was the self-conscious, timid, mild-mannered Clark Kent I'd been dealing with for all these weeks? I had only seen him like this on a handful of occasions, back in my world, watching him go through life on my TV screen. The only person he had ever directed the sharp edge of his temper at was Chloe, and I was completely thrown that he was now giving me a piece of what was really going on in his mind.

"I-- I--" I stammered, not really sure how to respond. Clark took advantage of my knotted tongue and pressed on.

"I understand that since you came here, your life has been really complicated. Knowing me, knowing my secret... it's difficult. But that _does not_ give you the right to threaten my mother!" His voice rose to a shout on the last words. He took a breath preparing, I think, to continue yelling at me. But by this point, I had found my voice.

"Clark, I _didn't_!" I shouted. "Why can't you see that this has nothing- _nothing_- to do with your god damn secret? Why can't you see that being Kryptonian isn't a curse, it's a gift; that your powers aren't bad karma, they're a way for you to really make a difference? There are thousands of people out there who want nothing more in life than to help make the world a better place, but can't because there's nothing they can do about it, and here you are, with all your great powers, convinced that everything that goes wrong in your life is because of them. Do you think life would be _easier_ if you weren't Kal-El? Think again.

"And I didn't threaten your mother. She threatened me- and she was talking in _my_ voice. I don't know what's going on, but your mom isn't your mom. You of all people should know that the supernatural is real, and that there's a chance somebody's impersonating her," I said, my voice rising in a crescendo of desperation and barely controlled hysteria.

There was a brief silence, and then Clark said, in a quiet voice, "I think I would know my own mother, don't you?"

"Yeah, and Lana thought she knew you- but Bizarro still fooled her, didn't he?" I snapped. It was a low blow, but at the time I thought it was a good idea. Shows you how much I know.

Clark's eyes narrowed, his jaw set. "That. Is. Enough. Dianne." he said, deadly calm, enunciating every word as if they were all that kept him clinging to his self-control. "I've put up with your sarcasm, your arrogance for all this time because I... I thought I could learn something from you. I _have_ learned from you, but it seems that the only person I can tolerate sarcasm from is Lois. I'm asking you one last time. Just apologize to my mother and drop this... this stupid crusade to make me accept my 'destiny'."

I felt the iron in my soul bend slightly as he said it. Was he right? Had I been arrogant? Perhaps. But my pride wouldn't let me take this from him. "I would, Clark, if I had actually done anything to apologize for. And I'll never stop trying to give the world the hero it deserves."

With that, I turned and, with a huge leap soared across the cornfields. Three bounds later, I was on the roof of the Metrpolis Star building, staring out across Kansas, wondering what the hell I was going to do.

--

Lex smiled as Ms. Mannilow gave her report on her progress. "Excellent work. I think Dianne would make a nice little addition to 33.1, don't you?" He nodded. "Yes. The Black Creek facility, I think. But first--" Lex allowed a small smile to curl across his face. "First, I want her broken. I want her mind completely shattered, so that we'll be able to bring her under control. From what I saw of her personality during our brief meeting, she's too strong-willed to be managed otherwise. So... can you do it?"

Mannilow nodded. "I know what to do," she said, sighing. She hated herself for this. If it was up to her, she'd be doing things openly. But no, she had to fight Luthor from the shadows, pretending to fawn over him and do his evil bidding. And what was worse... if Dianne Morton really was broken, all would be lost. Barry had told her that in no uncertain terms, and he would know.

Putting the dark thoughts away so that she could smile brightly at her employer, Ms. Mannilow pulled a DVD from her purse. "This has everything I need on it."

Stepping outside Lex's office, she paused, tuning in her mind to all the thoughts and voices around the world. She cringed slightly at the onslaught of thought, but quickly managed to eliminate all but the one voice she was searching for- Dianne Morton. Once she had located her, she smiled slightly. She took a single step into the security system's blind spot.

In less than a moment her face and body shifted, transforming from the image of Ms. Mannilow into a heavyset man dressed in a security officer's uniform, and set out for the Metropolis Star office...

As she left the Luthor mansion, a man made his way down the staircase from the mezzanine which housed the majority of Lex's books. "Lex," the man said silkily.

Lex Luthor's eyes widened. "You--!" he gasped. "You're--" He was lost for words. He had not seen this man in almost two years.

"Yes. Me," said the man. Milton Fine, better known as Brainiac, emerged from the shadows.

--

I was chilly- I'd been out here on the roof for over five hours, and it was still only April- things could still get cold with little warning. Shivering, I tried the door off the roof again- and to my surprise, this time it was unlocked. Shrugging, I walked inside.

The building was mostly deserted- it was after working hours by now, and most of the staff had gone home. As I descended into the bullpen however, I heard a pair of voices- male and female- speaking urgently.

"--don't know what to think, Chloe!" I heard Clark say. Immediately, I froze, listening intently.

"Clark, I don't know what to tell you. She seems sincere... but I've been fooled by meteor freaks before. Normally I wouldn't be quick to make judgments, but something feels weird here. I mean, it is telling that Dianne knew about Krypton, but at the same time, her story about being from some other dimension seems kinda far-fetched," Chloe replied. What was this? What was I hearing? The conversation didn't even make sense with the events of the day.

"I guess we'll just play along for awhile. Try and find out what she's up to," Clark said softly.

Furious, I burst into the room, intending to give them a piece of my mind. The bullpen was empty. All that I found was a TV, playing slightly blurry security footage from the Metropolis Star's cameras. I approached slowly, looking at the time counter and date in the bottom of the screen. The footage was from three days after I arrived in this universe.

I sank into a chair, fighting back tears for the second time today. The world faded away as I fought to keep myself from breaking down. They'd just been playing me from the start. They'd never really trusted me. I trusted them- I thought that maybe, just maybe I'd found a place where I could belong. That maybe I'd have real friends. But they'd never really trusted me, never really liked me at all. How could I have been so stupid?

--

**Sorry once again for the slow updates. But I hope you like what you read!**


	12. M'gann

**A Note From Lara: Well, from here on out, it's pretty much a straight shot to the end. I've planned on five (or less) more chapters, and things should be moving pretty quickly now. **

**I have just a brief note on the first part of this chapter. I kind of overstressed the same issues in Dianne's mind over and over again. Some people will find this repetitive, unnecessary, and angsty without cause, I'm sure. However, there is in fact a very good reason behind it- remember that Dianne is only 16, and as a teenager myself, I know that when I get upset over some petty drama, I go over the same thoughts again and again in my head and can't really stop myself. So that's that...**

**Also, M'gann M'orzz's name is pronounced like 'Megan Morse'. **

--

It was late when I finally arrived back at the Kent farm. As I stepped out of the taxi (I'd elected to ride home rather than jump), I could see that all the lights were out, and I couldn't see anyone moving inside. I sighed. Looked like no one was home. I couldn't really bring myself to care, not anymore. The disc I had retrieved from the DVD player in the Star's bullpen weighed down my pocket.

Clark had betrayed me. He'd never really cared about me. He'd mistrusted me, even from the beginning. Assumed I was a meteor freak. I had dreamed about coming here, coming to Smallville to meet him, all my life. And then Mystery Dude actually made it happen, and it wasn't what I expected at all. He wasn't what I expected. I'd finally found a place where I could make real human connections, find real friends, and they were all plastic. They weren't my friends. They didn't like me, they didn't trust me. Chloe, Mrs. Kent whoever she was, Clark... they'd all betrayed me in the end. I was completely alone.

The cold December air nipped at my nose and I could see my breath as I slumped up the stairs to the front door. I stared out across the farm before I pulled open the screen, watching as it began softly to snow. This was a place that I had come very close to considering a home. But no more. Clark wouldn't want me to stay, not after what had (or rather _hadn't_ happened) this morning.

I opened the door, calling as I did so, "Clark? Anybody home?" in a tone that even I could tell sounded flat and dejected. Some part of me was disgusted at myself for my weakness, but the weight of the DVD in my pocket squashed the little flicker of myself. I wasn't that person anymore, not really.

Sparky, fierce Dianne had died with her faith in her favorite character. Clark Kent had been my idol, my inspiration. I had never imagined he would ever stoop to anything as low as this deception. If he was fallible, then who was I to think that I could change things, make a difference? His trust in me had been the cornerstone of my mission. His courage, his belief in the goodness of all people, had inspired me. He had been the reason I had kept on fighting to make him into who he had to be. Who the world needed him to be. But I had failed. He was too far gone, he mistrusted even me. If he could be saved from his own insecurities, I surely couldn't do it. I was just some lost little runaway from another world. I had thought my purpose in life was to save Clark Kent, but I had failed. I had no destiny. I was useless.

I sat down heavily on the sofa, staring at my hands. After a moment, I pulled out the DVD, staring at it so hard I thought it might melt. Finally, I dropped it to the floor, and cradled my head in my hands. What could I do? Where could I go? I had no records, no papers, no life. I was a non-person here. And I was stranded. I didn't know how to get back to my world.

Suddenly, I heard a faint sound behind me. "Hello Dianne," came a voice from behind the sofa. With a gasp, I leapt to my feet and whirled around...

--

_Two hours earlier..._

Dianne's taxi had left Metropolis several minutes earlier. She needed to follow it, if the universes were to be saved. But Ms. Mannilow didn't particularly want to reveal herself, not just yet. Lex had spies everywhere. Glancing around, she ducked into an alley, insuring that she wouldn't be seen. She closed her eyes briefly.

A few seconds later, she glanced down at her reflection in a puddle. Gone was the blonde, brown-eyed secretary-slash-personal assistant. In her place was a young girl, perhaps sixteen or seventeen in human years, with brilliantly green skin, almond-shaped amber eyes, and shoulder-length auburn hair. She was dressed in a blue cape and skirt, and a white shirt with a red X across the front. She grinned. She always felt so much better in this form. Still smiling she launched herself upward, out of the alley and into the cloud-covered sky.

When she reached the lower layer of clouds and safely hidden herself within it, she scanned through the fine mist with her Martian vision. As her eyes glowed red, she spotted the taxi and accelerated to catch up with it. She tuned in her mental probe to the thoughts within the cab.

Quickly eliminating the mundane thoughts of the driver, she tuned into the lonely girl in the back seat. Her heart sank as she felt Dianne's mind. She was well and truly broken, just as Lex had wanted. Barry's trust in her had been misplaced. He should have contacted J'onn to pose as Lex's assistant; J'onn was much better at all this than she was.

"Mannilow" buried herself deeper in Dianne's mind, focusing on the individual thoughts, desperate to find a way to salvage the situation. _The DVD... DVD... DVD... Clark never really... never... I failed... failed... failed... failed... failed... I'm useless... no good for anything... never wanted by anybody... I failed... What am I good for then? Chloe didn't like me from the beginning... from the beginning... I thought maybe she was... was a real... I hoped... real friend... But no... I... they were always... I failed... failed... failed... failed..._

She gasped as the power of Dianne's shock and distress washed over her. It seemed that the girl's thoughts flooded her mind, taking over, screaming in her head. She clutched her head, trying to drive the thoughts out... It hurt. It hurt so much, she couldn't... she couldn't focus... couldn't.... Couldn't fly... she was falling... falling out of the sky... couldn't focus... couldn't fly... she'd failed... failed... failed...

All at once, a hand clutched her cape, stopping her fall, and an arm circled around her waist, holding her up in the air. She shook her head, clearing Dianne's screaming out of her mind. Her vision cleared, and she saw a pair of concerned blue eyes peering into hers. "K-Kara?" she asked blearily.

Kara's eyes widened in surprise. "M'gann? M'gann M'orzz?" M'gann nodded, brushing Kara's hands away and sustaining her own flight. "M'gann, I thought you were _dead_!" Kara exclaimed. "I thought all the Martians were dead, except for J'onn!" She embraced her Martian friend, laughing.

"And we all thought you were dead," M'gann said quietly. "It's been a long time." Kara nodded, still smiling.

"What happened?" she said. "You were falling out of the sky."

"I tuned into Dianne's thougths. She's broken," M'gann explained. When Kara continued to look puzzled, M'gann sighed. "I've been pretending to work for Lex Luthor, on the orders of... someone who knows what they're doing. It's part of a sting operation to get Clark to accept his destiny, you see," M'gann said, smiling at her use of human terminology.

Kara nodded. "Working with Dianne."

"Well, yes but she doesn't know it. And to do what has to be done, I had to... well, follow Lex's orders. He wants Dianne for his little collection of kryptonite-infected freaks. But he wants her broken. Emotionally shattered. He asked me to do it, and I... I went too far." M'gann's face fell, and Kara's eyes widened. "Kara, I revealed Clark and Chloe's early doubts about her. There was some security footage from the Metropolis Star, and I arranged for her to see it. And now she thinks everybody hates her and she's... god, I can't even comprehend how she's feeling. Worse than that, I reawoke Clark's fears about her this morning. I've been posing as Martha Kent all this time and I think I overdid it. But... I did the right thing, right? Following Lex's orders was the right thing to do?"

Kara shrugged. "I have no idea, M'gann. I'm not some kind of angel. But, what's this all-important Clark-accepts-his-destiny thing? I don't get it."

M'gann looked down at the ground, several hundred miles below them. "It's pretty complicated, but there are other universes out there. All the Kal-El's from all the universes have made their choices. They've accepted their place as saviors or destroyers, either way. But this Clark Kent won't choose. He continues to save people anonymously, but the world needs a symbol. Someone to give them hopoe for the future. And it's up to him to save the world from all the destruction that is to come."

Looking thoughtful, Kara said slowly, "But M'gann, I have all the same powers. Wouldn't it be easier for me to just do it, since he refuses?"

M'gann smiled wryly. "If it was that simple, we'd have done that ages ago. But that's happened in a few universes. And if you're the sole savior of this Earth, the angel who swooops in to save the day every time, Earth will survive, but it won't be a good place to be. Like you said, you're not some kind of angel. That's your cousin. He's the symbol, he's always good.

"According to the person I'm working for... with... it's up to you to make the harder choices, to take a darker path if it's necessary. Kal's the one who uplifts all the goodness in the world." M'gann looked pained as she saw the unease her revelations caused in her friend.

"Look, Kara, I know this is all totally random and weird, but I need your help. If I go to Dianne now, Lex's eyes and ears will see me and I'll lose my "job" working for him. I have to keep my foot in the door to make this work. Can you go to her? Comfort her, make her see that she hasn't failed in her mission yet. It's vital that she has the heart to go on, or Kal-El could die." Kara's eyes widened in shock. She nodded.

"Of course I'll go, M'gann. We were friends a long time ago. I wouldn't forget that, not ever."

--

M'gann entered Lex's study, once again the blonde, obsequious secretary. "Mr. Luthor," she said courteously. Lex nodded absently.

"Ms. Mannilow," he said, "I've learned much since I sent you to deal with Dianne Morton. I had a... visitor."

"Mr. Luthor?" M'gann asked, wary.

Lex looked up, a wild look in his eye. "Clark Kent is actually an alien from the planet Krypton. He is of the same species as those two who came out of a ship that crash-landed in the second meteor shower. He's a danger to the planet. All the horrible things that have happened to me, to everyone, they're all connected. And Clark Kent is the key." M'gann felt a thrill of fear as she probed his thoughts. Lex Luthor really was insane. He actually thought that his plans would protect the world.

The Brain Inter-Active Construct had been here. Brainiac, created by Kara's father, servant of Zod... That couldn't be good. God, she was only sixteen, she couldn't deal with all this! Barry should be the one trying to handle this incredibly delicate situation! But _no_, he was busy in some other universe, pretending to the people there that nothing was wrong at all.

"I have something to show you, Ms. Mannilow," Lex said.

--

**Another Note From Lara: Well, there you have it folks. Ms. Mannilow finally tips her hand. To those of you who aren't familiar with M'gann, AKA Miss Martian, she's the only other survivor of the Martian civilization besides J'onn J'onzz. In other words, she's the Supergirl to John/J'onn's Superman. She's a member of the Teen Titans... that's basically all you need to know about her to get it.**


	13. Fixing It

**A Note From Lara: Okay, I've decided to devote all my energies to getting SAtD finished as soon as possible, because I have really exciting things planned for the sequel and I can't wait to get on to them. Expect plenty of updates.**

--

"Hello Dianne," came a soft voice from behind me. With a gasp, I whirled around.

"Oh, Kara," I said in relief. "You scared me. I've been having... a helluva day."

Kara nodded. "I know. Listen, Dianne, don't give up. You have to keep at your mission." She came to sit on the sofa beside me and gestured to me to sit back down. I did so with a thump.

"What's the point?" I muttered. "I failed. Clark never trusted me. Sure, he can fly now. So what? Big deal, he'd have learned eventually anyhow."

"You're wrong, you know," Kara said quietly. "About Kal not trusting you. He _does_ trust you. But somebody's been manipulating him over the last couple of weeks. Oh, not somebody bad," she hurried to explain at the look on my face. "A friend of mine, actually. She's working toward the same goal that you are, you see."

"Who?" I asked, suddenly feeling a lot better about myself.

"Her name is M'gann M'orzz--"

"Miss Martian?" I gasped. Comic book junkie that I had been, I recognized her name immediately. "How do you know M'gann?"

"We were friends. When the Martian civilization collapsed, J'onn J'onzz came to work for Jor-El, and he brought M'gann with him, since she was the only other survivor. I never got along with J'onn even _before_ what he did to my parents and me, but M'gann was funny and she used to take me flying. She has her powers no matter where you go, you see, but when I was on Krypton..." I nodded. "She taught me how to fly. I didn't figure I'd ever get a chance to try it out for myself until I got sent here."

"Wow," I said, a small grin crossing my face.

Kara's face mirrored my grin for a moment, before a serious look crossed it again. "Anyway, she's trying to get Clark to accept his destiny just like you are. She's working on the orders of some guy. From her description, it might be the same one who sent you here in the first place. But to fulfill her part of this, she has to pretend to work for Lex. When you went to see Lex a few weeks ago, Lex got really interested in you, and he wants to add you into his little collection of freaks. The way he wanted me."

She frowned, and I suddenly felt a strange feeling of kinship with this lost girl from another world. From another world, like me. A specimen-in-a-jar for Lex Luthor, like me. Alone, like me, because even though she had family here, Clark was barely Kryptonian. Yes, Kara and I were very much the same.

"Lex wanted you broken, and M'gann... well, she manipulated Clark's thoughts with telepathy earlier today, and planted a DVD, I guess." My eyes widened at that. So, that was where it had come from? I felt angry, very angry, at how I had been taken in. But that wasn't the important thing, was it? Clark was still the important thing here. And now that I knew I hadn't failed, it was time to get back to whipping his butt into shape.

"Thank you, Kara," I said quietly. "I'd almost given up, you know. I guess I just finally found a place where people actually _liked_ me, and I was more than a little upset when I thought I was wrong."

Kara smiled. "Hey, what are friends for? And besides, you've done more for Kal than even he knows. He's changed a lot in the time that you've been here. It's amazing, seeing how much he's changed, and I'm not just talking about the flying."

I smiled, and rose to my feet. Kara stood up as well. "Well, if you really think so, then there are just two more things to be done. I need to fix the things I monumentally screwed up between him and Lois, and I need to get him to go do his training in the Fortress."

Kara placed her fists on her hips, and I almost laughed out loud as I recognized the stance. "What do you mean, _I_?" she asked, a wicked smile crossing her lips. "I think _we_ is more appropriate. You, me, and M'gann have business to take care of."

"Girl power, huh?" I said. Kara winked at me.

"Well, first order of business, I'm going to go talk to Lois, alright? Maybe I can get her to stop being mad at Clark--"

"Good luck," Kara muttered, and I had to agree with her. Lois Lane was a formidable woman on the best of days, and when she was pissed it was even worse.

"--And I think you should probably go find Chloe, let her know what's going on, okay? She's made strides before, trying to talk Clark into going to Jor-El. We might need her help." Kara nodded, and we shook hands. Then, in a flash, Kara was gone. I stepped out onto the porch, and leapt upward, soaring higher and higher...

--

Lex led M'gann through the halls of the Luthor mansion, until they reached a panel in the wall. He pressed a piece of ornate molding and the entire section of wood slid away to reveal a silvered elevator door. The doors slid open in eerie silence. M'gann felt a thrill of fear. She could detect none of Lex's malice directed toward her, but something felt terribly wrong nonetheless. Well, of course something felt wrong. Brainiac had been here!

The elevator descended rapidly, and M'gann's apprehension heightened with every moment. As they exited the elevator, she peered around. They were in a sterile hallway, all tile and stainless steel, lit by dim fluorescent bulbs. Lex led her down the corridor to a reinforced door. He opened the door, and showed her into the room, which reminded M'gann of the observation areas above surgery wards.

The large window before her showed nothing but darkness, but her Martian vision revealed a hunched figure in the blackness below them. She could make out very few details, but something about the way he held himself suggested that he was not quite... normal.

"Down there is a man named Raymond Jensen, a former employee," Lex said. "He came into contact with a chemical spill in 33.1, and it has... changed him. He now has the ability to feed off of pure energy. After coming into physical contact with another employee, he drained him completely of his life energy, killing him. Shortly thereafter, attempting to evade capture, he touched one of the patients in 33.1, and absorbed her meteor-induced powers. We were able to subdue him shortly after, but barely."

Lex flipped a switch, and the lights below the observation platform snapped on, flooding the white cell beneath them with light. A man-shape sat there. His skin was a brilliant shade of violet, streaked and swirled with dimly glowing white. He looked up at them with hopeless gray eyes. "Fascinating little parasite, isn't he?" Lex said, a sickening smile crossing his face.

M'gann was disgusted. She could sense the man's emotions. He had been a nice person, never wanted to hurt anyone. He still didn't, but the... the _hunger_ she sensed in him, the need to gain energy just to live, overwhelmed every other desire. M'gann's heart went out to the sad little man.

"He'll be useful, I think, in robbing Clark of his Kryptonian powers," Lex continued, not looking at her. M'gann felt a stirring of rage within her. She knew that Luthor was to be Clark's enemy, she knew that Barry had told her to avoid confrontation with Luthor at all cost, but she couldn't let the Last Son of Krypton walk into a trap such as this, and she couldn't abandon the poor man down there to his fate.

Lex was still talking, and he still wasn't looking at her. Quick as a wink, M'gann shape-shifted, revealing her green skin and costume. "No, Lex. You're through. I'm not letting you do this," she said in a deadly voice. Lex whirled, and a look of real fear came into his eyes as he beheld her changed appearance.

"Yes, Lex. I'm not who you thought I was, all this time," she said, and launched herself at him. The world seemed to slow down as she soared silently through the few short feet separating them. M'gann was not a killer, but Barry had told her of the future of this man, how many people he would ruin and destroy himself, and she thought that the dirtying of her own soul was worth the lives of so many. Lex lurched backward, falling to the floor. Yes, she would do this. She would lose who M'gann had been for the world.

Suddenly, a hand caught her shoulder. M'gann dropped to the floor as if she had been shocked. She whipped around, lying on her back and trying to struggle to her feet. And then she stopped. Brainiac stared down at her. "Oh my _god_," she whispered. Brainiac nodded.

No, no she was not going to throw it all away now! She leapt to her feet and threw herself at the android. She landed a blow in his stomach, and quickly whirled around to slam her foot into the back of his head. A quick flurry of jabs to his abdomen caused him to double over, and M'gann smiled. She had always been so afraid of Brainiac, but there was nothing to be afraid of, was there? He wasn't so tough after all--

A metallic fist slammed into M'gann's face and she collapsed, unconscious, to the floor. Brainiac shook his fist, apparently in small pain. "Well then. M'gann M'orzz. Pesky little brat," he muttered to himself.

Lex got to his feet. "Thank you." Brainiac raised an eyebrow.

Turning away from the android, Lex flipped on the intercom. "Raymond? Can you hear me?" The purple man below them turned his sad eyes up to them. He nodded. "Do you remember what we talked about earlier?" He nodded again. Lex pressed a series of buttons, opening a door in the walls of the cell. "I want you to do it. Find Clark Kent. Drain him. Bring him here. Start looking for him at the Talon..."

--

The wind roared past my face as I flashed over the fields of Smallville. The stars shone above me, and a thin film of snow layered the ground. The air was cold, but I barely felt it as I began the downward arc of my leap into the alley behind the Talon.

I entered the coffeehouse, and took the stairs to the apartment three at a time. Remembering my last conversation with Lois, I couldn't help but be apprehensive, but brushed my worries away. Dwelling on it did no good. Kara had shown me that. I knocked on the door.

After a moment, Lois answered. "Lois, I know you probably don't want to talk to me, but can we just... try to clear the air?" I said quickly. After a moment, she nodded.

"Thanks," I said, entering the apartment. "Look, Lois, I know you're mad at Clark, but he was just trying to protect you, honestly."

"I don't need protecting," Lois said. "I can handle myself."

"I know you can," I said. "And Clark does to, but that's just who he is. He takes care of people, and he worries about people. He cares about you a lot, you know, and I think he worries about you more than most of his friends."

Lois looked uncomfortable. "Yeah, I know," she said, shrugging awkwardly. "I just don't like being hovered over." I nodded. I knew exactly what she meant.

"Well, look, things have been really tense since the whole faking-your-death incident. Maybe if you just came over to the farm and _talked_ to him, things would--"

"Dianne, I know you're just trying to help, but I'm not in the mood to put up with Clark's pig-headedness," she said in a tried-patience sort of voice.

I crossed my arms. "And who are you to talk about pig-headedness? Who am I, for that matter? You need to talk to Clark and get things sorted out between you two, and I'm not leaving until you do." Lois raised her eyebrows. I could tell she was fighting to reign in the retort that must have risen to mind pretty much instantly after I spoke.

Life Lesson #15: Yes, Lois Lane can in fact control her temper. Unfortunately, the same can't always be said for me.

"So, what's it going to be?" I said tauntingly. Lois set her jaw and opened her mouth to reply. And then the apartment exploded.


	14. The Parasite's Attack

**A Note From Lara: After my cliffy ending last time, I figured I'd better get this updated quickly, so here is the next chapter as quickly as I could type it up!**

--

The front wall of the apartment was ripped apart, splintering into a million little pieces. A sharp piece of wood caught me in the arm, slicing through my shirt and burying itself in my left arm. Splinters of wood smashed into most of the lights, shattering the bulbs. Lois was thrown backward against the wall and appeared stunned. Sparks flew everywhere as I landed flat on my back in the middle of the apartment.

I struggled to my feet, clutching the long splinter of wood that cut deep into my arm. "Lois, are you okay?" I called to her. Rushing to where she lay on the floor, I attempted to help her to her feet. Her eyes were slightly out of focus, but she seemed steady enough as I got her into a sitting position. "What _was_ that?"

Lois shrugged, and I reached once again for the piece of wood stuck in my bicep. I gritted my teeth, closed my eyes, and yanked it out. I gasped as fiery pain seared up and down the length of my arm. A spray of blood shot out of the deep cut, and I felt faintly ill at the sight of the torn flesh. "Shit," I hissed. "Goddammit!"

I don't know what it was that first alerted me to the other presence in the room. Maybe it was the sudden terrified widening of Lois's eyes, or maybe it was the sound of heavy footsteps. Whatever it was, when I spun around, still crouched next to Lois, I saw the single ugliest creature I had seen up to that point in my life.

It's skin was a deep, unnatural violet marbled with white streaks. It seemed humanoid, but was strangely lumpy and misshapen. And then the pieces fell into place as I put what I was seeing together in my mind. "The Parasite," I whispered. Oh god. Oh god, this was _so_ not good. Even Clark had a hard time dealing with the Parasite. What kind of chance did _I_ have?

"Where is the Kryptonian?" it asked in a gutteral voice that was sickening in its humanness. "Where is Clark Kent?" My mind was screaming at me to answer, to lie, to send it off on some goose chase to keep it away from Lois, away from Clark, away from anybody it could hurt. But my tongue was frozen. I was terrified. I knew this guy from my days in my world. I knew what it could do. And I was scared out of my mind.

"I... I don't know," Lois said quietly from behind me.

The creature's gray eyes, illuminated by a shot of sparks from the newly exposed wires in the ceiling, were suddenly saddened. "I'm sorry," he said. "I'm so sorry. But I'm just so _hungry_..." He took a step forward, reaching his arms out toward her.

Slowly, I stood up. With three quick steps, I had placed myself between Lois and the Parasite. "No," I said quietly. "No, you are _not_ taking her."

He looked at me, pleading. "But I _have_ to," he said. "I'll die if I don't feed."

I shook my head. "Go stick your finger in an electric socket or something. But you can't take her. She's got a purpose in this life. I know, Raymond. And I know you. And you can't take her. Not now, not ever. Not her." I had to keep Lois alive. For Clark's sake, for her sake, for the world's sake. And the Parasite would kill her if he so much as touched her.

But, as if drawn forward by some invisible force, he continued forward in slow, shuffling steps. It was so obvious he was trying to stop himself, but like a starving man set before a platter of delicious food, he couldn't keep himself away. "No!" I said, and raised my hands, unsure how to stop him.

And still he came. He was only feet away now. I had to figure out something to stop him, now. I crouched down, and with a gasp of pain at the fire that shot through my arm from my wound, flung myself at him, hoping to knock him backward. Something, anything, to give Lois more time to get away. "Run!" I cried, an instant before I crashed against him.

He seized my wrist, but I ripped my hand out of his grasp. Quickly, I darted across to where the couch lay on its side. With a grunt, I lifted it above my head, and brought it smashing down on top of him. Silence reigned in the apartment. For a moment, I thought I had killed him. Sorrow flooded me. I didn't want to kill anybody. Was this what it was like, then, to be a superhero? Did they have to live with the knowledge of murder in their hearts all their lives? No wonder Clark was so hesitant to embrace his destiny.

All at once, a stray spark from the broken wires shot down and landed on the Parasite's head. The little bit of spare energy, it seemed, was enough to revive him. He heaved the couch off his back. Rising to his feet, he waved his hand at me. "Bring it, bitch," he hissed.

The first punch I landed on his face was enough to send him spinning halfway across the room. He rose quickly, grinning in a twisted way that made my insides go cold. My second punch only knocked him down. He got to his feet again, smile even wider now. I tried to hit him a third time, but the blow didn't even phase him. I continued to kick and punch him, desperate to buy Lois time. But they all landed ineffectually. My vision swam, and I felt my blows continue to weaken. And suddenly, I realized what had happened. He had drained my strength, and was now sucking away my life with every blow I landed on him.

Self-preservation took over, and I flung myself away from him, desperate to stay alive. But he was so strong now, he had all my strength, and he kept my arm captive. My injured left arm. He twisted it, and I gasped. Blood spurted out of the wound, landing on his face. I closed my eyes in horror as he licked his lips. The rest of the blood sank out of sight beneath his skin. Oh god, oh god oh god oh god oh god oh god oh god... He twisted my arm again, and I felt the darkness claim me, as the last of my strength leeched away.

--

**A Note From Lara: Sorry, I know this chapter is shorter than last, and I know it's ANOTHER cliffy ending, but what can you do...**

**And remember, a good reader is a reader who REVIEWS!!!**


	15. Truth, Secrets, and Lex

**A Note From Lara: Alright, we're down to the last three chapters now. Everybody ready? **

**Also, I guess I have an apology to make. A few chapters back, I had planned on drawing out the mind games M'gann was playing over another ten chapters or so, and the direction I wanted the plot to take wouldn't allow it. But I had promised you all a long, extended psychological plot, and I apologize for not giving it. Sorry :(**

--

Chloe was hunched over her computer screen at the Metropolis Star, focusing intently on the puff piece her editor had shoved her with. _New girl gets the worst stories_, she thought absently to herself. Her fingers flew across the keys, typing away in a flurry of motion. A sudden whooshing sound distracted her. She looked around, expecting to see Clark blurring in at any moment, when suddenly, a pair of hands seized her around her waist and the Star's bullpen disappeared in a blur.

The next thing she knew, Chloe was clutched tightly in Kara's arms, soaring away from the building. "Kara, what the hell?" she yelled. "What was so important you had to rip me away from my job right in front of all my colleagues?"

"Chloe!" Kara gasped, "I don't have a lot of time to explain, but a friend of mine has been impersonating Mrs. Kent for the past few weeks to help Dianne, and she's also pretending to work for Lex, but anyway, she told me what's been going on and I explained to Dianne, and she told me to come find you while she went to talk to Lois, and I was on my way, but then I heard something and I went back to the Talon apartment and when I got there it was all smashed up and Lois and Dianne were gone and I don't know where they are and--"

"Kara, slow down!" Chloe said, putting her hand over Kara's mouth to stop the hurried flow of words. Kara took a deep breath, and nodded. "So, Lois is missing? What happened?"

"I don't know. The apartment was totally trashed. The entire front wall was knocked down and the police and things were there. There was a little bit of blood on the floor," Kara said, looking worried. "I need your help. Explain what's going on to Clark. I'm going to start looking for them. I mean, what little M'gann said was enough to make me get a really bad feeling, and I think we need to find them as fast as we can."

"Who's M'gann?" Chloe asked. Kara smiled. "M'gann M'orzz. She's a Martian. We were good friends on Krypton. She's been posing as Mrs. Kent, and also as Lex's personal assistant, trying to figure out what he's up to." Chloe nodded, a faintly stunned look on her face.

"Anyway, Lex is involved. He has to be. That can't be good. And whatever tore up the apartment was really powerful, maybe as strong as a Kryptonian," Kara said, staring away into the distance. She shuddered as she thought about Lex, what he had tried to do to her, and the thought of Lex allied with someone who'd be a match for her in strength.

Seconds later, they arrived at the Kent farm. "Explain to Kal. Tell him I'm going to start at the Luthor mansion!" Kara said, setting Chloe down. When Chloe nodded, she rose into the air, soaring north toward the mansion.

--

I woke with a pounding head. My eyes opened blearily, and for a moment I thought I was still in the Talon. Then I became aware that the walls around me were gray. The walls in the Talon were blue. As my vision focused, the rest of my senses returned as well. I felt something around my wrists.

I glanced at my arms, and realized that thick metal cuffs bound to the wall were tying me in place, keeping my arms raised above my head. My shoulder throbbed where I had been injured, blood oozing out of the cut. I longed to clap my hand over it, to ease the pain, but I couldn't. I couldn't move an inch.

I glanced around the place where I was being held. The first thing I saw was Lois, similarly shackled, on my right. "Dammit, they got you too. Lois, are you okay?" I asked. She nodded.

"Yeah. Where are we?" I shrugged. "How about you? Are you okay? You've been unconscious forever." I shrugged again, wincing as my shoulder throbbed.

"Dianne-" came a voice from my left. I whipped my head around and saw a very strange-looking girl, bound the same way Lois and I were. She had green skin and auburn hair. She was dressed in a very familiar costume...

"Oh my god, M'gann? M'gann M'orzz? You're actually... but..." I sighed. "Crap. Lex found you out, huh?" She nodded. "Do you know where we are?" I asked.

M'gann smiled sadly. "We're in a lead-lined chamber beneath the Luthor mansion. You've been out for about half an hour."

"The Parasite?" I asked softly.

M'gann shrugged. "After Brainiac knocked me out, he drained me of my powers. They'll come back eventually, but for now, we're stuck."

"Wait, Brainiac's here too?" I asked quickly. When M'gann confirmed this, I groaned loudly. "Dammit. I should have _known_ he'd be back. I should have warned Clark, and Kara... Kara should know... It's her he wants, at any rate." Why _hadn't_ I remembered that he'd be back one day? I'd known he'd be coming back for Kara, but had I thought to warn them? No, I had not. And now I was sitting here in Lex's creepy little torture chamber for the special with Lois Lane and a Martian.

"Who's Brainiac?" Lois demanded. "Dianne, what's going on?"

"Lois, when we get out of here, I promise I'll explain everything, but if you honestly believe Lex isn't listening to every word we say, you're deluding yourself. And frankly, I don't want that psychopath knowing anything more about me than he already does, courtesy of little miss Martian over here," I said, throwing a dirty look at M'gann.

"Sorry," she muttered. Lois just shrugged, apparently accepting my delay.

--

"Clark?" Chloe called, entering the Kent farmhouse. The alieen farmboy's dark head appeared around the doorframe of the living room. "Be right there," he called.

"Clark, hurry! Something's wrong."

Two seconds later, Clark was standing in front of her. "What is it Chloe?"

"Honestly, I'm not sure. But Kara told me to come tell you that some alien friend of hers has been posing as your mom, and the Talon apartment got trashed. Apparently Lois and Dianne are missing, and Lex could be involved," Chloe said in an apprehensive rush. Clark's eyes widened in barely-controlled panic.

"Where's Kara?" he said quietly.

Chloe shrugged. "She said she was going to try and find Dianne and Lois. Thought she'd start up by the Luthor mansion. Listen, Clark, she was really freaked out. Whatever's going on has her really scared. I think she knows more about whatever happened in the Talon than she's letting on. Maybe there's... another Kryptonian involved."

Clark bit his lip. He let out his breath in a rush. "I'm going to go help Kara look. You said she was heading up to the mansion?" Chloe nodded, and he was little more than a red-and-blue blur streaking away at the speed of light.

--

We sat in silence for several minutes, listening to the faint sounds coming from the other cells around us. Another of Lex's "patients" screamed shrilly. I longed to clap my hands over my ears, the scream was so loud, but I couldn't, my hands were bound...

Suddenly, an idea occurred to me. "Hey M'gann... do you think Clark and Kara could hear us if we screamed?"

M'gann made a face and shrugged. Lois, on the other hand, just snorted. "Are you on drugs, Dianne? The odds of Smallville hearing us screaming are about as high as the ones on him being able to lift the Empire State Building in one hand." M'gann and I simply looked at each other for a minute and burst out laughing. "What?" Lois demanded.

"Nothing, nothing," I said hurriedly as M'gann opened her mouth. I knew M'gann probably had no problem spilling Clark's intergalactic beans, but that was his perogative. "Just an inside joke."

"Since when did you have inside jokes with an alien from _Mars_?" Lois said incredulously, clearly fighting hysteria. Well, whatever. Clark's secret might be his business, but the truth about me was another thing entirely. And to hell with Lex. If the comic books were anything to go by, Superman always beat him in the end. Sure, Lex was a master of the crazy mindgame (not to mention crazy illegal "science"), but I could handle myself, and Clark could handle Lex. If Lex found out the truth about my origins... what did it even matter? What could he do about it?

"Lois, there are things about me you don't know," I began.

"What, are you from Mercury or something?" she interrupted.

"Are you _kidding_?" M'gann said with a snort. "Everybody knows that Mercury is _totally _uninhabitable. I mean, sure Kal-El could hang out there and be fine, but since there are only two of his kind left besides him, that's sort of useless." Lois opened her mouth, probably to ask who Kal-El was, but I held up my hand.

"Anyway, off the subject of the inhabitability or lack thereof of a given planet, I guess you could call me an alien. Sort of. Partially," I said. "The truth is, I'm from another universe, where you're all comic book characters." Lois's eyebrows climbed up into her hair, and I could tell she didn't believe me. "Call me crazy if you want, but you should probably know that your cousin believes me, and she's about the sanest person you'll ever meet. The point is, I was sent here to help... someone... accept their destiny to save the world. Only, from the way things are turning out, I failed pretty catastrophically."

"And who might this 'someone' be?" Lois asked, narrowing her eyes.

"Kal-El," I said cryptically. God, I just _loved_ aliases. "You'll meet him one of these days."

"Hang on, don't I know the name Kal-El from somewhere?" Lois mused. Oh. Right. Nam-Ek and Aethyr had mentioned him, hadn't they? Well, at least it made my story a little easier for her to take. "Yeah," she said slowly. "After the meteor shower--"

All at once, the door to the cell swung open to admit none other than Lex Luthor himself. "Well Dianne, it's been awhile hasn't it?" he asked silkily. "Only, I was under the impression that you were a _reporter_ the first time we met. Turns out you're a sixteen-year-old freak from another world."

"What do you want with us?" Lois snarled at him, pulling at her cuffs.

"The alien's weakness," he said simply. "The Kryptonian is a danger to the world. I need to know his weakness to save the world. One of you is bound to know."

"You're a real piece of work Lex," I spat at him. "We're not telling you jack. And don't think you can keep us here. I've got people." Lex simply raised a carefully pencilled eyebrow.

"I have people too," he said.

"Yeah, well," I said in my carefully rehearsed snarky voice, completely ignoring M'gann's frantic shushing gestures, "My guns are bigger."

Lex smiled. "I suppose you're referring to Kal-El... more commonly known as Clark Kent?" he said smoothly. I heard Lois gasp, and felt a sinking in the pit of my stomach. I knew this would happen sooner or later, but the timing sucked. Then again, _was_ there a good time to find out that one of your best friends, the guy you had a secret crush on, was an superpowered alien from another planet?

"Oh shut _up_ Lex!" I groaned. "You're _so_ not supposed to tell Lois that yet."

"Is this your idea of humor?" he asked, a sadistic gleam in his eye.

I shrugged. _Keep him talking_, I thought. _Say_ anything_, Dianne. _"Well, it's a really awkward tense situation... and honestly Luthor? I've completely given up trying to take life seriously. This whole I'm-from-an-alternate-universe-where-you're-the-most-famous-evil-genius-in-comic-book-history thing has a lot of potential for humor, and I do _not_ like tense situations. So, you know..." _ Just keep him talking, keep him distracted. Buy Clark time to realize something's wrong. Buy him time to get here and save our butts._

"You are a very strange girl, Dianne," Lex said, cocking his head on one side and studying me, as if I were some pickled thing in a jar. I shuddered at the thought.

"I try, Luthor. But if I'm strange, you're a sick, twisted psychopath. And Clark is going to take you out." Bravado. Bravado was good. Bravado would make Lex think _I_ wasn't thinking. Maybe we could catch him offguard... somehow.

"Oh, I suppose he could, if it were just me he had to fight through to rescue you lovely ladies, but I'm afraid I have some... friends... who are rather more formidable than I appear to be. Don't expect your space invader friend to have such an easy time of it," Lex said silkily.

With a soft click, a pair of doors slid open on either side of him. Brainiac and the Parasite entered. Poor Raymond looked sad beneath the lumpy purple brow, almost regretful. I couldn't blame him- he never asked to be this... _thing_. Brainiac simply looked bored.

"Now," Lex said, his previously polite, cold voice shifting into a deranged snarl. "Tell me what I want to know, or my associates will be forced to take steps. _What is the Kryptonian's weakness_?"

I looked at Lois, and she looked at me. A defiance in her eyes told me all I needed to know. I glanced at M'gann. The same defiance showed behind her amber gaze. They weren't talking. Not that Lois knew anything in the first place, but whatever.

I looked down at my feet, hiding my eyes from Lex. Then I looked back up at him, and when my eyes met his, I was smiling. "Kiss my ass, Luthor. We're not telling you anything."


	16. Losing Grip

**A Note From Lara: Alright, this is the next to last chapter. And once again, there's going to be a cliffhanger ending. You're probably mad at me, but frankly, I LOVE cliffhangers. Then again, most (if not all) of you are writers, so you get it.**

**I know that at the end of this chapter you will have a lot of questions about what actually went on. Never fear, they will all be answered in the final chapter. Just bear with me and don't drop my story just before it ends! * winks ***

--

_Forty minutes earlier..._

Raymond sighed. He hated this. He hated it completely. For the thousandth time, he wished he had just had the sense to keep away from the barrel marked 'biohazard'. But how was he to know that the chemicals inside it would explode on contact with the air? How was he to know that they'd turn him into some kind of life-sucking freak? That was the stuff of science fiction, not real life. Only... it wasn't, because here he was.

The android, Brainiac or whatever he called himself, had come to assist him in bringing in the two girls from the coffee house raid. Raymond would have preferred to do it himself, but he couldn't touch them without draining the life right out of them. And so here he was, watching the suave man-machine lift the two lifeless bodies onto his shoulders.

Or... almost lifeless bodies. Raymond could see it- a faint light flickering just beneath their skin. Their life, their energy. His food.

And with that energy came their knowledge- every intimate detail of themselves and their lives was now rattling around his head. He cringed away from the memories. They weren't his, he didn't want them- they felt private and he didn't want to violate them anymore than he already had. And even with his remorse, there came a deep abiding _hunger_, a need for more energy, more power. Power like the blonde's.

Raymond looked eagerly as Brainiac lifted her up. A long braid, white like lightning, swung nearly four feet long over his arm. Her life-light flickered, and it was all Raymond could do to keep from leaping across the intervening distance and taking it, all of it. She had been so _strong_, and he loved the feel of this strength- her strength- now coursing through _him_.

"Hey, so what's Luthor want with them anyway?" he asked to distract himself from the temptation set before him. The android turned to face him in slight annoyance.

"I believe he intends to discover Kal-El's weakness," he replied in a dead voice.

"Who's Kal-El?" Raymond asked.

Brainiac raised his eyebrows. "The Last Son of the planet Krypton. The nephew of the man who created me. The only thing standing between me and my true mission on this planet." For the first time since Raymond had first seen him, the android displayed emotion; hatred. Man, this guy really had an ax to grind! "Kal-El lives on this planet, pretending to be human. He goes by the name Clark Kent. I know his weakness. Courtesy of the knowledge you've no doubt absorbed from those two, you do too," he continued, gesturing at the women hoisted over his shoulder.

Raymond rifled through the memories that weren't his, and found the answer he was looking for. "Whoa," he muttered. "This guy's got some power!" He licked his lips involuntarily. Now _that_ would be a meal... no. No, he didn't want to kill anybody else. Suddenly, something occurred to him and he looked back incredulously into those foreign memories. Was that seriously this guy's weakness? "Wait, a _rock_?" he said with a snort. "How lame is that?"

Brainiac raised an eyebrow, and a chill ran down Raymond's spine. He turned hurriedly away.

"I am not telling Lex about this. Neither are you. Do you understand me?" he said. It wasn't a question, it was an order. "Luthor serves his purpose, as do you. You could prove a useful ally in my quest, and I should hate to have to end your life simply to keep Luthor from gaining the upper hand."

Thoroughly confused, Raymond nodded. He had seen the girl Dianne's storehouse of knowledge on the android, and wanted nothing more at the moment than to keep as far from his bad side as possible. "You got it. Not a word to Luthor." After a moment, he asked cautiously, "What exactly _is_ your quest, if you don't mind me asking?"

The android answered simply. "To resurrect my master, Zod."

Once again, Raymond dug through Dianne's memories, searching for Zod. God, did she have an entire library on this nonsense crammed in her head? How did she _know_ all this stu-- And just like that, the answer to his question was there in his head.

"So," he asked casually, "Do we get to tell Lex that the blondie is from another universe?"

--

"_Kiss my ass Luthor, we're not telling you anything."_

The echo of my words hung in the air. I met his eyes, stare for stare. Lex shrugged. "Luckily, you don't have to," he said. With a gesture to the Parasite, he continued, "Raymond, drain one of them, would you?" In panic, I yanked on my chains. Superman's powers always came back after awhile. Surely mine would too? But there was no weakening in the metal cuffs that bound me to the wall, no sign whatsoever of returning strength.

With a heavy, lumbering step, the Parasite moved forward, looking us over eagerly. More than likely he was trying to decide which one of us would "taste" better. I resisted the urge to vomit at the thought. After a moment, he lurched toward Lois. I felt a wash of relief. I wasn't first.

"No!" yelled M'gann. "She's only human, she won't feed you for long, you parasite!" I realized suddenly what M'gann was trying to do. Raymond was hungry. He wouldn't be able to stop himself once he latched onto Lois. He'd kill her. I was disgusted with myself for feeling relieved.

But M'gann wasn't the solution. She was the most powerful person in the room, Brainiac excepted. She was our ticket out of here, if Clark couldn't find us.

"_M'gann, can you hear me?"_ I yelled in my thoughts as the Parasite turned away from Lois and moved to the other side of me. _"Yes,"_ came her whisper-soft reply in my head. _"Are your powers coming back?"_ I asked. She confirmed this. _"Alright, listen M'gann, you need to get out of your bonds. Get free, find Kal-El. Don't let the Parasite take you. I'm a better target, and my strength isn't coming back." _ I could feel M'gann's wordless denial come into my head, but I ignored her.

"Come on Raymond! M'gann is small beans compared to me! You've tasted my strength, you know what it feels like. You know you want some more!"

The Parasite turned his sad gray eyes on me. "Why are you doing this?" he asked quietly. "Once I've drained your strength again, I'll start in on your life energy. You'll die."

"Oh for god's sake," I heard Lex mutter behind him. "Just _pick_ one of them. I'm waiting."

Both Raymond and I ignored him. Green eyes locked with gray. Perhaps he had an inkling of who I was from my thoughts. Perhaps it was something in my expression. Whatever it was, I could see in his misshapen face that he understood what I was doing, and whatever humanity remained in him to war with his twisted hunger, respected it. He nodded once. And then he took a step toward me.

I was terrified. Before, I'd have been ashamed to admit to such a weakness, but I wasn't the same person I'd been two months ago. If this was how things ended, I wasn't ashamed of how I'd spent my time here. I wouldn't cry and beg, no matter how much I wanted to. My eyes closed, waiting for the inevitable.

A loud crash interrupted my train of thought. I opened my eyes again quickly, and immediately regretted it. Dust and flying bits of cement filled the air. I coughed and M'gann swiped at the air in front of her with the hand she'd managed to free. A shot of sparks came from the halogen light in the ceiling as it extinguished itself.

As the air cleared and the dust settled, I peered through the darkness to see what was happening, and as I took in the scene before me, a wide smile settled across my face. I made out Lois's shape, and could see her wide eyes gleaming in the faint light that filtered in through the round hole in the ceiling. M'gann was also uninjured, and she was struggling to free her other wrist. The Parasite lay on the floor, stunned and weighed down by a heavy chunk of cement, but conscious. "Hungry..." he whispered. Lex had backed into the corner next to Lois staring at what was happening in the center of the room.

It was this, of course, that made me grin. Brainiac was flat on his back, struggling to fend off the blows of the person sitting on his chest. Kara was kicking and punching furiously, the way only a girl can- like a crazed wild animal, no rules, nothing off-limits. It appeared that she had simply dropped through the ceiling on top of him. Good for her. She knew what a deadly enemy the android could be, and wasn't taking any chances with a really fair fight.

It became obvious that she was winning very quickly. I heard Lois gasp as Kara leaped into the air, hovering for a moment as Brainiac attempted to struggle to his feet, before plummeting back down and landing so hard on top of him that the floor shattered beneath us.

Lex edged along the wall until he neared where the Parasite lay prone on the floor. "_Do_ something!" he screamed. "Don't just lie there! Get up!" A purple hand snaked out from beneath the chunk of cement and grasped Lex's ankle.

I felt kind of bad for Luthor as he dropped soundlessly to the ground, all the life draining out of him. Not bad enough, of course, for me to have warned him beforehand of the dangers of going near his pet Parasite. Yeah, that probably makes me a horrible person, but I can't change the past.

With a cry, Raymond exploded to his feet, hurling the cement that had pinned him down across the room. "Hungry!" he yelled in an inhuman roar. I felt a thrill of fear. I was still tied to the wall, and unlike Brainiac, the Parasite was far too unoccupied.

I looked desperately at M'gann who was still fighting with the second cuff. The metal gave a protesting screech as she tugged at it, but her strength had not entirely returned and she couldn't quite make it break. "Damn," I heard her whisper.

The Parasite glanced around him, and suddenly his eyes lit on Kara. The gray orbs widened; apparently he had some way of detecting power sources. To his eyes, Kara must shine like the sun, with all that stored starlight and Kryptonian power. "Oh shit," I hissed. Oblivious to the danger, Kara continued to pummel Brainiac, who, now that he'd recovered from his surprise, was beginning to fight back more decisively.

"Look out--!" I yelled, but too late. The Parasite had hurled himself into the fray, briefly separating the struggling pair.

Briefly his hands brushed Kara's face, and his eyes lit up- literally. A blast of heat vision seared across the room, melting a hole in the wall.

But the real danger wasn't from the Parasite anymore. Given a few moments to recover himself, Brainiac was suddenly a much more formidable opponent. "You're Kara, then?" he said, a smirk crossing his face. "Not Daddy's little girl anymore, then? I seem to recall the last time we met you praised me as your father's most marvelous invention."

With a snarl, Kara leaped at him, socking him in the face. "Yeah, well, the last time we met, I was six! People are stupid when they're six!" she gasped. Brainiac smiled as his taunt served to distract her.

Within moments, the positions were reversed and it was Kara who was pinned to the floor, desperately trying to fend off her opponent. Blows rained fast and hard, and quickly the pair became a blur.

I was so intent on the combat before me, I never noticed the purple entity creeping up beside me until M'gann gasped. I whipped sideways to see her collapse, one hand still captive within the steel cuff and the other clutched in the Parasite's. "Hungry," he said in a half-joyful, half-saddened tone. He took a step toward me, dropping M'gann's limp hand as he did.

With a muffled scream, I pulled at my cuffs, edging my feet as far down the room as I could reach, so that my body was suspended in midair. I struggled furiously, trying to get away, any way. I'd been bluffing earlier- I had no strength, nothing to feed the Parasite, nothing to delay his drain on my life energy.

All my struggles were in vain- I suppose I knew they would be, but can you blame me for trying? The Parasite's hands closed around my throat, and I gasped as I felt my life, my mind, my very soul streaming out of me and into him. Everything swayed and seemed to slow down.

I heard Kara's piercing scream, and saw her blood-stained face. I heard Lois yell my name and M'gann's. Blackness crept in at the corners of my vision as I saw Brainiac's triumphant smile as Kara fell to the floor. I opened my mouth, trying to say something, anything to stop this all, somehow. There was another loud crash, and the world went spinning off in darkness....


	17. Moving On

**A Note From Lara: Well, here it is: the conclusion of the first fan fiction I ever posted. It's been a long, strange trip, and I want to thank all of you for all your support! Specifically, massive kudos have to go out once again to MysticWolf1, because without her critiques and advice, SAtD would have crashed and burned LONG ago. If you guys want a really objective and helpful review, PM her and ask her to read your story! Of course, now she's probably really mad at me because she doesn't want a bunch of people begging her to read their stories all the time... **

**As with any "Clark's destiny" fic, there will be one or two unanswered questions left at the end, but I think that's okay. We all know the story of Superman, and it's a very very LONG story, the end of which has never been told, and never will be. Unanswered questions just lead into the next chapter of the saga.**

**I hope plenty of you will be very very sad that Dianne's journey is ending, because it means I did my job. Never fear, however, because as I mentioned before, there will be a sequel, to be posted by a week from tomorrow. It will not, however, be in the Smallville fandom.**

--

_Dear Clark--_

_We haven't seen each other in over eight years now; isn't that strange? It feels like just yesterday you told me you were finally ready to go do your training with Jor-El. I know Kara visits you pretty often- about once a month, it seems like. So you're not _completely_ in the dark about what's going on while you're up in the Fortress. But it seems to me that Kara usually only stays for an hour or so with you, so it's unlikely you've kept up with what's going on at home as well as you might. So I'm leaving this letter for you, to help sum up what's gone on in the nine years since you left._

_Your mom- your _real_ mom, I mean, not a Martian pretending to be Martha- came home from Washington a few years back. She and I get along very well. She's so down-to-earth. That's refreshing, and actually quite rare, when you think about it. After much deliberation, she decided to rent out the fields, and let somebody else work the land._

_Lex is still in the coma the Parasite put him in. They're saying he probably won't wake up and they tried to convince his beneficiarie to pull the plug several times. Lionel wouldn't hear of it, though. Turns out blood runs thicker than water after all, despite everything that Lex did and said to him. I should probably warn you, though, that knkowing what I know there's a good chance Lex will recover and come back to make your life hell. Again._

_Lois won a Pulitzer, did you know? Chloe helped her investigate Luthorcorp, and she wrote a series of articles exposing Lex-slash-Lionel's crime ring. Lionel totally lost his job, and has to settle for being a multi-millionaire instead of a multi-billionaire. So Lois finally achieved what she was trying to do all those years ago (you remember when she tried to fake her death to get at Lex?). The series was pretty much the greatest thing since Woodward and Bernstein, according to her new editor. You might remember him, a guy named Perry White? Anyway, Lois misses you terribly. Since she found out the whole truth about you, she understands why you have to be gone, but that doesn't change the fact that she hates every second you're not with her. She's gone on a couple of dates, but nothing serious, so you don't have to worry. Lois doesn't talk to me much, but I kind of got the impression that they were just covers, to keep people from wondering why she's so chronically single into her thirties._

_Oh, and speaking of the collapse of Luthor's crime syndicate, Lana took over the pieces of Luthorcorp. Maybe Kara didn't mention it, but after you left, Lana and I actually became decent friends. I grew up and stopped being so pushy. She stopped whining and became a strong woman who doesn't let other people define her. And now she's the acting CEO of the Lang-Luthor Corporation._

_Chloe's given up on journalism completely. She's a detective with the FBI, Metropolis division now. It was her work with Lois on the Luthorcorp scandal that first got the police chief's attention. Honestly, I think she's suited for it. It was really the investigation she liked about journalism in the first place._

_She married Jimmy, just last month. About time, too! They've been dating for more than ten years now. I think Chloe might have been holding off, hoping you'd be home in time for her wedding. And don't you _dare_ feel bulty about it, Clark Kent. I know you're thinking it; don't._

_Anyway, she's been having such a hard time keeping your secret away from Jimmy. I mean, the 'travelling the world' thing worked for a few years, and then the 'college in Dublin, getting his masters degree' explanation is still working for everybody. But you should probably be glad somebody's turned up in Oliver's Justice League who's _really_ good at forging documents to back up your story._

_Speaking of the Justice League, I've been working with them as a part-time member. My strength never came back after the Parasite got to me, so I'm just... ordinary. But you know that guy I mentioned, who is so good at forging documents? They call him the Batman (and in my world he's almost as famous as you), and I've been training with him; hand-to-hand and armed combat. I've learned more from him in the past six years than I _ever_ did in high school. Batman keeps pressing Oliver and J'onn to keep the League all secret and stealthy, but I don't think he'll succeed because there are a couple of newcomers who are very determined to come out in the open. And guess what? One of them's your cousin. _

_Yeah, Kara's taken over the family business. She keeps up with the patrols you started in Metropolis, so the mystery hero rumors continue to fly as fast as she does. I think she hates operating in secret as much as she hates kryptonite. She's conceded that it would be best to wait until you get back to reveal the League's existence (Oliver thinks you're the best candidate for a PR guy, seeing as you're all trustworthy and personable), but that doesn't mean she likes it. She and an ambassador from the Isle of Themyscira- who, by the way, is another one of the Big Three I told you about, along with you and the Batman- are constantly campaigning to begin operating openly as soon as possible. You'd better hurry up, for Kara's sake if for no other reason. She's going crazy having to stay in the shadows all the time. Kara's definitely a blaze of glory kind of girl._

_And as for me? Well, I'm twenty-five now, older than you were when we first met. Aside from working with the League, I still wait tables at the Talon. It's not exactly a job you can retire on, but I don't care, because it's time for me to go back to my own world. Back home._

_Home. It's almost a foreign concept to me now. For so long I've bounced around between the farm and the Talon apartment. And before that, all the foster homes I told you about. I'm not bitter, not the way I used to be. I don't regret a single second of it, but it can_not _be good for my psyche to have such a weak concept of 'home'. _

_My time here was limited, but we always knew that. I've already said my goodbyes to Chloe and Kara and all the rest. And I considered taking the portal up to say goodbye to you in person, but I decided against it. Jor-El doesn't seem to like people who aren't Kryptonian, and I didn't want to risk interrupting your training and getting frozen half-solid the way Chloe did. Besides, I know exactly what you'd say, and I'd like to think you know me well enough to know what I'd say. You'd try to convince me to stay, you'd say I have friends here who'd miss me. I'd just be stubborn as always. I don't belong here, we both know that. And as close as I am with Kara and Lana, they're not really my friends the way I define them. They're just borrowed from you for awhile._

_I have to find a place that I carved out for myself, and friends I made for myself. No packaged deals. Maybe I can do that here, maybe not. I'll never know, because I made my devil's bargain in coming here at all. _

_There's a very good chance we'll never see each other again, and in writing this letter, I've discovered how much I really hate forever goodbyes. But please don't miss me too much; I was never more than Fate's instrument. We learned from each other- you moved on from a dark place in your life and I learned what it means to be human. Now isn't that ironic? An "intergalactic traveler" taught me about humanity. And it's not about genetics, is it? Humanity isn't about whether or not you can bench-press a tractor, or if you can fly, is it? It's something deeper, something inside us that makes us really human. Whatever it is, that little spark that gives us our humanity, you've got it. Don't lose that, Clark. Don't forget that however much you've embraced being Kal-El, you're still human. And you always, always make a difference. I know how much you tend to mope when you "fail". I did too, once, but then I learned something. Even one life saved, one soul changed, makes everything you do worth it; you taught me that, so don't forget it._

_You were always my idol, Clark, and you'll be an inspiration for trillions of people across the galaxies. I can't promise you that your life will be easy or comfortable; that would make me not only naïve but very stupid. You never would have had an easy life whether you grew up on Krypton or Kansas, and once you reveal your presence to the world, things are going to get very complicated, very fast, so take joy in the simple things, the everyday things we forget about so much in the rush of things. It's time for me to go now, so I can only give you one last piece of advice: trust yourself. Trust your instincts, trust your heart. And trust your friends. You've got some amazing friends (and I should know) and they won't let you down. _

_Your friend now and forever,_

_Dianne L. Morton_

--

I read through the letter again, smiling as I did. There was a slight poignancy within my erratic script that wouldn't have been there nine years ago. Nine years ago, Dianne Morton would have scoffed at anything that betrayed sadness. But I wasn't the same lost little girl who had stumbled out of that alley in Metropolis so long ago. My experiences here- the things I'd seen, the things I'd done, the people I'd met- had changed me irrevocably.

The paper made a slight whispering sound as I slid the letter back into it's envelope, which was dated- the fourth of September. I sealed it, marked the outside with the symbol of the House of El, and looked around for a safe place to leave it. After a moment, my eyes lighted on the desk. My feet clacked on the wooden planks of the loft as I crossed the floor to stow the missive in the top drawer. That was the place where Clark kept all his most precious possessions (Lana's necklace, his high school yearbook, his father's birthday card from t he grave), and I knew he would open the drawer sooner or later.

I wondered what it would be like, going back to the 'real world' after all this time. Somehow, it was my own world that seemed unreal now, as if I couldn't quite comprehend a world without Clark Kent in it. I closed my eyes as I remembered the day he told me he was going to complete his training...

--

_Eight years ago..._

The hospital had just released me that morning. It seemed that I'd been comatose for almost three weeks after the Parasite finished with me, which was highly disorienting. So much had happened, and it was difficult to catch up with the whirlwind of events the battle in Lex's facility had set in motion.

Lois ended up telling me most of it, since she was the only one who actually remained conscious through the whole event. She still seemed slightly disoriented by her revelation about Clark, but the small smile on her lips every time she mentioned his name told me all I needed to know. Things in that arena would take care of themselves, all in good time.

Clark, it seemed, had come crashing in just as I lost consciousness. He had pulled the Parasite off me and freed us from our bonds with his heat vision, then turned on Brainiac. Lois hadn't told me all the details of the battle, and I didn't expect her to- who even remembers that kind of thing afterward, especially if they're in shock, anyway?

The fight apparently went on for a long time, long enough for Kara to revive and give Clark an edge against the android. The Parasite didn't stick around long, and he hadn't been seen since.

M'gann, it seems, was just waking up when Brainiac was (I hope) finally destroyed. While she waited for her powers to return, she explained everything that had gone on in the past few months. Apparently it was a few minutes before anyone noticed that I was still unconscious on the ground, which severely ticked me off.

But I was awake now, so no harm done. I stood on the front porch and glanced around the Kent farm, which looked so different from the last time I had seen it. Before, all I had been able to see was darkness and the winter of the soul. Now, the farm was shining, with brilliant sunlight bouncing off the snow and a feeling that reminded me of Christmas, despite the fact that it was still only November. Buttercup whinnied in his pasture. The air was crisp and I could see my breath, and the sky was a brilliant clear blue. The whole world was beautiful, and... clean.

I felt apart from it. The Parasite had drained me of more than just my strength. Some part of me had broken, something was missing that had always been there before. I couldn't place just what it was that was gone, but I felt strangely light and disconnected. I had been so right and so wrong at the same time, and I couldn't figure out how to put the pieces of who I was after all this together. After several minutes of standing there, staring out across the emptied landscape, I sat down on the porch swing.

Immediately, I regretted it. The cold of the wooden slats seeped through my jeans, raising goosebumps on my skin. I shivered and rubbed my arms.

"Lonely?" a voice behind me asked. I glanced over my shoulder to see Clark standing there, hands in his pockets and a grin on his face. He wasn't wearing a coat; I was jealous.

With a shrug and a small smile, I gestured to the seat next to me. "So," he said after sitting, "You were right, weren't you?" I nodded.

"I guess I was."

For a moment, Clark looked at me incredulously. "What, no 'I told you so'? What happened to the Dianne I know?"

I shrugged again. "Doesn't seem to be much point to it, does there? So much has happened." There was a brief pause as I listened to what I had just said. It didn't sound like me. Or rather, it did, but a different me than I was used to. "I _did _tell you so, though," I said, trying to find some part of myself that was unchanged.

Where was Dianne? Where was brash, unafraid Dianne who mouthed off and dashed headlong into any situation without a thought? I had lost some huge part of myself, the rude, loudmouthed, girl who lashed out when she was secretly terrified. Where was the person I had been? Did I even _want_ to be the person I had been?

No. I didn't want to be that girl anymore. I could still be strong and independent and quirky without being mouthy and volatile. I smiled slightly. It would take time, but I could redefine myself. Yeah, that sounded like a good idea.

"So," I said, "was there something in particular you wanted to talk about?" I asked Clark absently.

He nodded. "Actually, there is. Dianne, I've decided... look, I discovered a lot about myself in the past few weeks. I think I'm finally ready to go and do my training with Jor-El. I probably should have done it a long time ago, but until recently, I just didn't know what kind of dangers the world really can hide. I have the power to stop it, and I haven't been using it. After everything that's happened, I can't just pretend like there aren't more people like Lex out there, that there aren't other things I don't know about going on. I can save them, all the people who could get hurt. But to do it, I need to complete my training."

I broke into a wide smile. "So you finally get it," I said.

He nodded. "Yeah, yeah I think I do. It was what you were trying to tell me all along, but I didn't want to listen to you. I just... wasn't ready to hear it."

"Well, I guess you've got those super ears of yours wide open now," I said, looking out across the bright landscape. Clark nodded, and we sat together in silence, just watching, thinking our separate thoughts. I looked up at him. Something told me I wouldn't see him again.

--

_Present day..._

It was true. I hadn't seen Clark Kent again after he left for the Fortress. He hadn't come back in the eight years he'd been up there, and I had never felt it was right for me to go up there. I wanted to see it, so much. I wanted to see the place that was such an integral part of Clark's heritage. I wanted to see the statue I was sure would be carved out of the crystals- Jor-El and Lara holding the globe of Krypton above their heads. But even Kara didn't feel entirely welcome there. It wasn't my place.

This whole world wasn't my place. And that was why I was leaving. As I'd said in my letter, I had to carve out a place for myself. Batman had offered me a place in Gotham. I actually thought he'd come to like me, or at least tolerate me. He already had a sidekick, the ever present and slightly annoying Dick Grayson, but he'd told me once that he wouldn't mind having a Batgirl around, as well as Robin. Gotham was so crime-ridden, he needed all the help he could get, despite his usual protestations that he worked alone.

But that wasn't my place, either. I wasn't part of the story. There was a Batgirl, but she wasn't me. I wasn't the girl for the job, not here.

Once again, the irony smacked me in the face. I had thought, so long ago, that I was the _only_ girl for the job; I had been so sure that I was the only person who could force Clark to accept his destiny. But now, with the gift of hindsight, I realized that almost anyone would have done the job, and probably done it better than I did. Which left me wondering...

It was almost time. He would be here in just a few minutes. Just enough time to do the one thing that had to be done. I pulled a pair of scissors out of Clark's desk drawer.

I looked at myself in the mirror. My eyes were no longer green, they were bright blue, another mystifying remnant of the Parasite's attack. It was as if he had drained the pigment from my eyes as well as the life from my body. And with time, my platinum hair had darkened from the pale color of my childhood. My long braid, almost five feet long by this point, now showed a progression of colors, from white-lightning blonde, to a light honeyed brown at my shoulders.

My braid... it had always been my personal tribute to my mother, who had always said long hair was so beautiful... It was time. Nineteen years after their deaths, I was finally ready to let go. The scissors made a rasping sound as they snipped through the braid.

After a few moments, the long coil dropped to the floor. The rest of my hair, freed from the weight that had dragged it down for so long, bounced free into thick brunette waves around my shoulders. I picked up the braid and tied off the end with a rubber band.

Then I looked around me, wondering what to do with it. It seemed kind of weird and creepy to leave it here, not to mention just a little gross. Finally, I simply lit the braid on fire and tossed it out of the loft to the ground outside. I watched as the hair burned away, the tiny ashes whipped away by the early September winds.

Once again, I glanced at myself in the mirror. People had told me when I was younger, that I was beautiful. They'd been wrong, but now, with brown curls softening the harsh planes of my face, I was at least pretty. I'd never been pretty before.

Quick footsteps on the steps alerted me to his presence. I turned around. "Hi, Barry," I said to the tall, slender man standing before me.

Barry Allen. The most powerful of all the Flashes in the DC universe, able to tap into the Speed Force at will, and able to travel between universes. The Mystery Dude who had brought me here nine years ago. He nodded by way of greeting. "Are you ready to go?"

I shrugged. "Alright. Can I ask you something first?" He nodded again. "It was never really about Clark, was it?"

Barry shook his head. "Yes and no, Dianne. I guess it was, when you look at it from a certain way. But he would have accepted his destiny eventually, regardless of our interference."

It was as I'd suspected. They'd never needed me at all. So why, then? "Why me?" Barry shrugged.

"I have no idea. I was just wandering around your universe, and I happened to be considering the problem of this world's Superman. And then I spotted you, and something in the back of my mind gave you special significance. I don't know what it was. I don't know why. I just know that I had to bring you here, for whatever reason," he explained. I was unsatisfied with the answer, but I knew enough by now to know that I wouldn't get a straight answer if I asked again.

"I've had Batman draw up some papers for you- birth certificate, high school diploma, that kind of thing," Barry continued. I nodded. Thoughtful of him. In the time since I'd come here, they'd have long since given me up for dead. My old papers wouldn't be valid.

After a brief silence, Barry asked, "So... is there anywhere in particular you want to go?" I considered that. I knew Chicago so well... but that place was in my past, just as _this_ place was in my past. I knew instinctively that I had to go somewhere new. A fresh start. Where did people go when they wanted to lose who they were and find who they are?

Suddenly, the answer came to me. Somewhere new... "Can you take me to New York City?" I asked, grinning at the prospect. Barry nodded, and seized my arm. He took a step forward, his feet blurring as he accelerated... and then we disappeared from the loft.

_The End... or is it?_

--

**I hope you all like 'Heroes', because when Dianne returns to her own world, she finds that a LOT has changed in her absence...**


End file.
